Womanby Street
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| Former name(s) | 1310: Houndemammeby 1550: Hunmanby 1715: Home & by 1731: Homandby |
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| Length | 300 m (1,000 ft) |
| Location | Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°28′49.66″N 3°10′53.58″W / 51.4804611°N 3.1815500°WCoordinates: 51°28′49.66″N 3°10′53.58″W / 51.4804611°N 3.1815500°W |
| North | Castle Street |
| East | St. Mary's Street |
| South | Quay Street |
| West | Westgate Street |
Womanby Street is one of the oldest streets in Cardiff, the capital of Wales.
Tracing its name back to origins within the Norse language, its original purpose was to link Cardiff Castle to its quay. In this way it became a trade hub and settling point for those incomers who made the city their home. Throughout its history a location of merriment and consumption of ale, today it is still an original but restored area within the city where visitors can continue to enjoy hostelries and entertainment.
Originally, before the River Taff was diverted, the street ran north from the town's quay where the modern Westgate Street is sited, towards Cardiff Castle.
After Richard Fitz Gilbert de Clare, Duke of Gloucester, rebuilt Cardiff Castle from wood to stone in the 12th century, the medieval town began to spread out from the castle's rebuilt South Gate. The first stage was between Working Street in the east, Quay Street in the south and what was then known as Houndemammeby Street to the west. To the far west, the town was protected by the River Taff, with tents pitched on the land between.
All of these street names originated in the Norse language, with Houndemammeby translating as "the home or dwelling of the hound man or keeper of hounds", or simply "huntsman's dwelling". Although there is no direct evidence of a Viking presence in Cardiff, the street's names suggest that the Danes could have reached the port town. The name then changed regularly through the next few hundreds of years:
The word Womanby is early Teutonic language in origins, and translates as "the abode of the foreigners". It was hence probably used to signify the strangers quarters, where the native Welsh and resident non Anglo-Normans were permitted to live together under the shadow of the mediaeval castle.
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Wikipedia