The Shambles is a medieval street in York, though these days the description encompasses the whole general area. Mentioned in the Domesday Book the name comes from the word “shamel” meaning the stalls or benches where meat would have been displayed – the Shambles itself was a street of butcher’s shops and houses with often a slaughterhouse at the back to provide fresh meat. You can see one of those surviving shelves on the left hand side of the below picture.
Louise Jayne's Blog 