Birmingham in Tudor Times

Crown Commissioners 1547: 'one of the fairest and most profitable towns in all the shire'.
Camden 1586: 'Bremicham ... great number of smiths ... lower part of the towne standeth very waterish, but the upper part rises with abundance of handsome buildings'.
Plentiful descriptive material for period from three surveys, two itineraries.

John Leland 1538 rode from Kings Norton, came along Moseley Road to holloway junction of highways from Alcester, Warwick/Stratford, and Coventry - a gorge 50 feet below field level. 'smiths and cutlers' in Deritend, the street by the water gate. 'proper chappel' of St. John, built after 1375 on terrace close to Rea: in parish of Aston. Gild Hall beside it - Golden Lion Inn now in Cannon Hill Park said to be Hall. 'mansion house of tymbar' assumed to be Old Crown Inn, C14th with Victorian alterations. 'ford by the bridge' used except in flood - bridge barred and chained. 13 bridges and fords then in manor? Gravel island in Rea, two bridges, causeway between and on west side. 'a good market towne without an open space for market, held in several streets. 'one street going up along' Deritend, Digbeth, Well Street, Corn Cheaping, High Street, English Market, Welch Market, Dale End: nine side streets only partly built up. Tankards and water-mills not recorded by Leland: fulling and tanning then equal in importance to metal-working. Steeping tanks beside Rea. Heath Mill at furthest point of manor downstream; Moat or Malt Mill fed by stream from moat; Town Mill, Askerick's, pool fed by leat from Rea. Fulling mills on side streams?

10.1. Map 9

10.2. Map 10a

Manor house in large moat (site of Smithfield Market) with drawbridge: by 1529 the house was 'sore decayed' and untenanted. In 1536 the last of the de Birmingham family, Edward, lost his estates to the Crown. 1545-53 John Dudley Duke of Northumberland, owned manor, granted many leases. 1555. Crown sold B. to Thos. Marrow of Berkswell. 'parrock church' of St. Martin, first ref. 1285, 'high spyre steeple' in 1587, cruciform church like others in area. Chantries, Clodeshales of Saltley, Holy Cross Gild. Moated rectory west of manor house.

'many smiths in the towne that use to make knives and all manner of cutting tools and many lorimers that make bitts and a great many nailers. So that a great part of the towne is maintained by smiths who have their iron and seacoal out of Staffordshire'. Open forges both sides of Digbeth, Well Street. Two springs (sites of Well Lane and Ladywell Walk) noted for copious flow. Chalybeate spring east of town, Coleshill Street. Side streams both sides of Digbeth, dammed for pools. Old village green, bounded by Mercer Street, Corn Cheaping/High Street, with church at lower end: now encroached upon by Roundabout Houses encircling churchyard, Shambles (butchers' premises), High Cross. Bull ring of iron in middle of Corn Cheaping, small open space left, grain market.

Tollbooth at entrance to New Street, used for all public business. High and Low Bailiffs, Constable, Headborough, Ale and Meat Connors, Leather Sealers, were manor (and often also Gild) officials. Archway to New Street, horse market. Gild Hall, early C15th. Clock and chimes in bell turret. Gild maintained almshouses, two bridges of stone, and 'divers foul and dangerous highways', employed Wardens, Clerk, Organist, Caretaker, Midwife, Bellman. Gild owned 30 closes in Borough, much land in Foreign. 1547, all religious associations abolished, property seized. Edward VI returned land worth £21 rental for a Grammar School, held in Gild Hall. No funds for bridge and highway maintenance given. Lench's Trust, established 1540, not taken over, still operative. School land now very valuable.

English and Welch Markets (for local and distant vendors), livestock sales. Hospital of St. Thomas closed 1536, estates sold. William Colmore bought Conyngre (Rabbit Warren) between Sandy Lane (Snow Hill) and Easy Row, Colmore Row and Priory Brook (north of Lionel Street) St. Mary's Chapel, free chapel of Priory, on Bull Street. Bull Inn opposite. Priory buildings, site of former Lewis's Store. Welch Cross at top end of High Street. Dale End Barrs (tollbars) on brook. Sheep-folds. Gardens, orchards, barns, closes, behind houses: town generally open. Demesne let out to tenants. Enclosure of open fields probably complete, but few farm buildings outside Borough. Byngas House Bingley Hall), hamlets at Hockley, Winson Green, only. Lady Wood, Warstone Wood depleted by demands for charcoal. Manor open and bare except for hedges and fences.