This area represents one of the better preserved collections of historic components within the city centre with the main components of its street plan all represented on Gosling's 1736 plan and its current property boundaries likely to be heavily influenced by the layout of the medieval planned burgage plots. The predominant plan form of property units within this area is long, thin and sinuous with only a narrow street frontage. Chapel Walk represents a fossilised narrow medieval 'mews type street. Norfolk Street, which forms the south-eastern edge of the area represents a probable former back lane at the rear of the Fargate burgage plots. The area is characterised at street level by national chain stores such as can be found in most high streets and cities centres across the UK however many of the building facades date from late Victorian and Edwardian rebuilding works designed at creating high status banks and offices. Some piecemeal clearance and rebuilding during the mid-late twentieth century principally the area around the Orchard Square shopping centre (late 1980s). The date of earliest settlement within the centre of Sheffield is uncertain and evidence is sparse. Bronze Age cinerary urns, discovered in the early 19th century at Bank Street, account for all the prehistoric evidence. A small assemblage of Roman pottery was noted amongst the finds recovered by Armstrong’s excavations at the Castle in the late 1920s although some doubt has been raised about this identification. The current whereabouts of the assemblage is unknown. The place name 'Sheffield' is Anglo-Saxon in origin, but indicates a topographic rather than a settlement site. The Domesday Book of 1086 records a settlement at Hallam, under the control of Earl Waltheof of Hallamshire; at that time Sheffield was one of the Hallamshire manors. The city centre castle site is just one of several suggested locations for this. The cross shaft of an Anglo-Saxon cross (dating to the late 8th/early 9th century) has been recovered locally; it may have originally stood in the churchyard of the current cathedral and be indicative of some form of Saxon settlement here. Soon after the Norman Conquest, a motte and bailey castle was constructed by William de Lovetot, on the site now occupied by Castle Markets. This was burnt down in 1265, during the Barons war instigated by Simon de Montfort. Thomas de Furnival applied for permission, from Henry III, to rebuild the castle in stone. This was granted in 1270. The stone castle survived until 1648, when it was demolished by an Act of Parliament. This resulted from its use by the Royalists during the Civil War. After demolition, stone from the castle was enthusiastically used by the people of the town in further construction projects. In 1764 the Rev. Edward Goodwin of Attercliffe stated in an article for "Gentleman's Magazine" that no visible trace of the castle existed, apart from street names including Castle Hill, Castle Folds, Castle Green and Castle Lathes. Gosling's plan of 1736 can be presumed to show the medieval plan of the town with little change and much of the present day street plan in the markets area still reflects this. Dixon Lane, King Street, Shude Hill and Snig Hill all remain and retain the same names, though their prominence is somewhat diminished. West Bar still retains some importance as a route out of the city. The main street, shown on Gosling as Pryor Gate, is now Church Street and High Street. The Townhead Cross, which stood at the western end of Church Street, probably marked the extent of the medieval town to the west. The free tenants of the town had their ancient rights formally recognised in a charter of 1297, granted by Thomas de Furnival. This effectively created the Burgers of Sheffield. This was split into two bodies during the 16th century - the Church Burgesses and the Town Trustees. One looked after ecclesiastical matters, the other civil matters. Both bodies still exist today. The Lord of the Manor still retained a considerable degree of control over affairs and the character of the medieval town was heavily influenced by the nature of political administration. The Lord of the Manor's castle and deer park, to the north and east of the town, restricted growth in these areas, encouraging development to the south and west. The town did not really expand to the north and east until the castle was demolished and the park disparked. Today the area is still predominantly the commercial centre of Sheffield. The markets are in roughly the same area that they have occupied for over 700 years and the medieval street pattern is largely intact. Legibility is partial due to this.