Straker's Passage

One of the aspects of York which provides constant fascination is the network of snickleways such as this one, Straker's Passage.

The origin of the name is uncertain. A 'straker' in medieval England was "someone who was employed to maintain the accuracy of a measure of corn by passing a flat stick or 'strike' over the rim of the vessel holding the grain, thus levelling the grain and removing any excess. The derivation is from the Old English pre 7th Century 'striccan' or 'straccian' to stroke or smooth, Middle English 'strike(n)'. This was an important and responsible position in medieval England, particularly since there was some dispute over the measure to be used." Bearing in mind the vicinity of Straker's Passage to what used to be a busy river port, this seems a likely origin.

Alternatively, Mr & Mrs Straker and their children, the Straklets, may have lived at the end of the passage - though as the passage leads to an area which was a proper slum until it was cleared in the 1930s, the thought is a little fanciful that someone lived there who was sufficiently important to have a passage named after them.

Let's go with the corn measurer.