The date of the first settlement of the site is unknown. Although Birmingham's origins lie in the
Excavations during the construction of the Birmingham Wholesale Markets between 1973 and 1975 revealed a sandstone wall that included a moulding similar to those found on other sites in the West Midlands such as Sandwell Priory, probably dating it to the twelfth century.[6] This wall had been incorporated into a later structure about 11m long and 4m wide with chamfered ashlar stonework – possibly a tower, an oriel window, the base of a stair or the end of a building – with a buttress that indicates a likely thirteenth century date.[6] Further excavations as part of the redevelopment of the Bull RIng in 2000 showed that the moat was 2.5m deep.[7]
Documentary evidence of the site is slight. The moat may have been associated with the castrum mentioned in the
52°28′33″N 1°53′31″W / 52.4758°N 1.8919°W / 52.4758; -1.8919