Minories (/ˈmɪnəriːz/, not /ˈmaɪnəriːz/) is the name of both a former civil parish, also known as Minories Holy Trinity, and a street in the City of London, close to the Tower of London. The name is derived from the abbey of the Minoresses of St. Mary of the Order of St. Clare, founded in 1294, which stood on such sites; a "minoress" was a nun in the Second Order of the Order of Friars Minor (or Franciscans). (A small side-road off Minories is named St. Clare Street.) The name can also be found in other English towns including Birmingham, Colchester, Newcastle upon Tyne and Stratford-upon-Avon.