In Tudor times, Middlesex Street was known as Hogs Lane, a pleasant lane lined by hedgerows and elms. It is thought city bakers were allowed to keep pigs in the lane, outside the city wall; or possibly that it was an ancient droving trail. The lane’s rural nature changed, and by 1590, country cottages stood by the city walls. By 1608, it had become a commercial district where second-hand clothes and bric-à-brac were sold and exchanged, known as ‘Peticote Lane’. This was also where the Spanish ambassador had his house, and the area attracted many Spaniards from the reign of James I. Peticote Lane was severely affected by the Great Plague of 1665; the rich fled, and London lost a fifth of its population.
Wikipedia
BillyScraps 
Interesting post, nowadays it seems very strange thinking of city bankers keeping pigs!
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Ha! It does. Petticoat Lane is right on the the border of the City and the East End, which makes it such a fascinating part of London. Borderlands are always interesting places.
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