Bonner Street was named for Edmund Bonner, Bishop of London from 1539–49 and again from 1553-59.
Bonner Street was once split into Bonner Street as its southernmost part and Bonner Lane in the north.
The area east of Bethnal Green was rural but Bishop’s Hall existed, occupied by Bishop Bonner. In 1655, the local manor house was demolished and the material used to build four new houses in the area. By 1741, the four houses were described as joining the main building on the west. The most easterly house, next to the lane, was a public house - probably the Three Golden Lions.
Other houses were built in Bonner Street by 1800 and spread eastward during the next decade.