Place Name
This is not named after an obscure Biblical character but is a corruption of Hugh de Balun’s name. Balun was a property-owner in the area in the 12thCentury, who belonged to the same family as Hamelin de Balun (also spelt Baalun, Baalan, Balun, Balodun and Balon), a Norman knight who served William the Conqueror’s son William Rufus. Known as Balostret in the 1371 Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous, Balaam Street is one of the oldest roads in Plaistow. It has also been argued that the road could be named after Walter Balame.
