Abbot Wulsin (Ulsinus) also founded the St Albans Market in an attempt to establish a settlement within the confines of the abbey.
He made it possible for people to come and live there, bringing them together from the surrounding areas, adding to and enlarging the market, and also helped those constructing buildings with the cost of timber …" The date given for this activity is 948 although it is now generally considered that Wulsin's floruit was earlier, around c. 860–880.
St Michael's lies to the west among the foundations of the old basilica (law-court) of Roman Verulamium, where Alban was condemned to die.
Bearing in mind that, in sending the first missionaries to Britain, Pope Gregory had instructed them to build churches on important pagan sites, this can hardly be a coincidence.
This brought traffic up Holywell Hill, which is named after a medieval holy well, and it was along this route that the supplies for the Abbey were transported.