Bloomsbury history

I have done a bit of research into the local history of Bloomsbury. It seems that the area was originally called “Blemondisberi” (which means the “bury” or manor of Blemond) after a 13th century lord of the manor, William Blemond. The earls of Southampton took Bloomsbury over as lords of the manor in the 16th century and the Fourth Earl built Southampton House in 1660. His daughter inherited Bloomsbury and married the Earl of Bedford and Marquess of Tavistock (That’s just the one guy!). While the Fifth Duke was a child, his mother Gertrude Gower - who gave her name to Gower Street, but mercifully spared us a Gertrude Street - developed Bedford Square. The Sixth Duke let most of the available land to James Burton and Thomas Cubit for development. Thomas Cubit went on to build Belgravia. Most of the squares of Bloomsbury are the result of this period of work. Later much of the residential area towards the West End was taken over by the British Museum and London University, and that is the area which I still think would be quite a nice place to live in. I just like all those ancient coin shops mixed in with organic cafes and old bookshops! Also, I really like the British Museum, and would drop in there all the time, given the chance.