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| {{ |
{{Short description|District of East London, England}} | ||
| {{about| |
{{about|an area in London, England|other uses|Ratcliffe (disambiguation)}} | ||
| {{distinguish|text=], home of the homonymous meat market in the ]}} | |||
| {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}} | ||
| {{Use British English|date=February 2015}} | {{Use British English|date=February 2015}} | ||
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| | official_name = Ratcliff | | official_name = Ratcliff | ||
| | static_image_name = File:Ratcliffe Lane, London E14 - geograph.org.uk - 804664.jpg | | static_image_name = File:Ratcliffe Lane, London E14 - geograph.org.uk - 804664.jpg | ||
| | static_image_caption = Ratcliffe Lane |
| static_image_caption = Ratcliffe Lane, near ]. | ||
| | post_town = LONDON | | post_town = LONDON | ||
| | postcode_area = E | | postcode_area = E | ||
| | postcode_district = E1, E1W, E14 | | postcode_district = E1, E1W, E14 | ||
| | london_borough = Tower Hamlets | | london_borough = Tower Hamlets | ||
| | dial_code = 020 |
| dial_code = 020 | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''Ratcliff''' or '''Ratcliffe''' is a |
'''Ratcliff''' or '''Ratcliffe''' is a locality in the ]. It lies on the north bank of the ] between ] (to the east), and ] (to the west). The place name is no longer commonly used. | ||
| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| ===Etymology=== | ===Etymology and origin=== | ||
| The name ''Ratcliffe'' derives from the small sandstone cliff that stood above the surrounding marshes, it had a red appearance, hence ''Red-cliffe''. | The name ''Ratcliffe'' derives from the small sandstone cliff that stood above the surrounding marshes, it had a red appearance, hence ''Red-cliffe''. | ||
| Ratcliff was historically part of the ]. The place name Stepney evolved from ''Stybbanhyð'', first recorded around 1000 AD. ''Stybbanhyð'' probably translates into modern English as "Stybba's hithe (landing place)", with Stybba the individual who owned the Manor (estate). The hithe itself is thought to have been at Ratcliff, just under {{convert|1/2|mi|m|abbr=off|spell=in}} south of ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stepney: Settlement and Building to c.1700 {{!}} British History Online |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol11/pp13-19 |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> | |||
| ===Civil and ecclesiastical administration=== | |||
| ⚫ | The hamlet was divided between the parishes of ] and ] until 1866, when it was constituted a separate ] (as Ratcliffe). From 1855 it was administered by Limehouse District Board of Works, and in 1900 became part of the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://exploringeastlondon.co.uk/Shadwell/Shadwell.htm |title=Shadwell. East End's Free Art & History |accessdate=2008-04-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312162242/http://exploringeastlondon.co.uk/Shadwell/Shadwell.htm |archivedate=12 March 2008 |df=dmy-all }} accessed 20 April 2008</ref> By the latter half of the nineteenth century, the condition of the area had improved somewhat - the 1868 'National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland' describes Ratcliffe as inhabited by persons connected with shipping and having extensive warehouses, with the area 'well paved, lighted with gas, and supplied with water from the reservoir at Old Ford'.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/MDX/Stepney/StepneyHistory |title=GENUKI: STEPNEY, Middlesex|website=www.genuki.org.uk |access-date=28 February 2023}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | The parish church of Ratcliffe, St. James in Butcher Row, was built in 1838 and served the area until 1951 (it was damaged during the ]), when the parish was merged with St. Paul, Shadwell.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/MDX/Stepney/churches#step31 |title=GENUKI: Anglican Churches in Stepney, Middlesex in 1890 , Middlesex |website=www.genuki.org.uk |access-date=28 February 2023}}</ref> In 1948 the church site became (and remains) the East London home of the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stkatharine.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=40 |title=The Royal Foundation of St. Katharine - Our History |accessdate=2008-04-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210134954/http://www.stkatharine.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=40 |archivedate=10 December 2008 |df=dmy-all }} accessed 20 April 2008</ref> The social campaigner ] became the first Master of the Foundation in its new home. | ||
| The area was part of the ] of ], but military and most (or all) civil county functions were managed more locally, by the ]. | |||
| The role of the ''Tower Division'' ended when Ratcliff became part of the new ] in 1889. The County of London was replaced by Greater London in 1965. | |||
| ===History=== | ===History=== | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Ratcliffe in earlier times was also known as "sailor town".<ref>{{cite book|last=Fox Smith|first=C.|title=Sailor Town Days|year=1923|publisher=Methuen|location=London}}, p.29</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Land|first=Isaac|year=2020|title=Trading in War: |
Ratcliffe in earlier times was also known as "sailor town".<ref>{{cite book|last=Fox Smith|first=C.|title=Sailor Town Days|year=1923|publisher=Methuen|location=London}}, p.29</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Land|first=Isaac|year=2020|title=Trading in War: London's maritime world in the age of Cook and Nelson|journal=The Mariner's Mirror|volume=106|issue=1|pages=104–106|doi=10.1080/00253359.2019.1665354 |s2cid=213124998 }}, p.104</ref> It was originally known for shipbuilding but from the fourteenth century more for fitting and provisioning ships.<ref name="parish">{{cite web |url=http://www.eolfhs.org.uk/parish/ratcliff.htm |title=EoLFHS Parishes: Ratcliff |accessdate=2005-12-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051226015402/http://www.eolfhs.org.uk/parish/ratcliff.htm |archivedate=26 December 2005 |df=dmy-all }} accessed 20 April 2008</ref> In the sixteenth century various voyages of discovery were supplied and departed from Ratcliffe, including those of ] and ].<ref name="parish"/> By the early seventeenth century it had the largest population of any Hamlet (administrative sub-division) in Stepney, with 3500 residents.<ref name="parish"/> | ||
| It was again a site of shipbuilding in the seventeenth century - a number of sailing warships were built for the ] here, including one of the earliest frigates, the ] in 1645. Located at the western end of ] it was made up of lodging houses, bars, ], music halls and ] dens. This overcrowded and squalid district acquired an unsavoury reputation with a large transient population. In 1794 approximately half of the hamlet was destroyed in a ] but, even so, it continued as a notorious ] well into the nineteenth century. | It was again a site of shipbuilding in the seventeenth century - a number of sailing warships were built for the ] here, including one of the earliest frigates, the ] in 1645. Located at the western end of ] it was made up of lodging houses, bars, ], music halls and ] dens. This overcrowded and squalid district acquired an unsavoury reputation with a large transient population. In 1794 approximately half of the hamlet was destroyed in a ] but, even so, it continued as a notorious ] well into the nineteenth century. | ||
| From the late sixteenth century Ratcliffe and surrounding areas were notable areas for ] ]. ] preached in the area in 1592/3, until he was spotted by the local vicar at Ratcliffe and subsequently hanged. By 1669 around 200 Presbyterians were worshipping at a warehouse at Ratcliffe Cross and there was a purpose built ] meeting house in Schoolhouse Lane, which was demolished by soldiers in 1670.<ref>http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22739 |
From the late sixteenth century Ratcliffe and surrounding areas were notable areas for ] ]. ] preached in the area in 1592/3, until he was spotted by the local vicar at Ratcliffe and subsequently hanged. By 1669 around 200 Presbyterians were worshipping at a warehouse at Ratcliffe Cross and there was a purpose built ] meeting house in Schoolhouse Lane, which was demolished by soldiers in 1670.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22739 |title=Stepney: Protestant Nonconformity to 1689 | British History Online |website=www.british-history.ac.uk |access-date=21 April 2008}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | In late 1811 seven ] took place in ] (more recently St. George's Street), allegedly committed by a sailor named Williams, who committed suicide after being captured. The murders were later fictionalised in an account by ].<ref>http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45082 |
||
| ⚫ | The hamlet was divided between the parishes of ] and ] until 1866, when it was constituted a separate ] (as Ratcliffe). From 1855 it was administered by Limehouse District Board of Works, and in 1900 became part of the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://exploringeastlondon.co.uk/Shadwell/Shadwell.htm |title= |
||
| ⚫ | In late 1811 seven ] took place in ] (more recently St. George's Street), allegedly committed by a sailor named Williams, who committed suicide after being captured. The murders were later fictionalised in an account by ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45082 |title=The Thames Tunnel, Ratcliff Highway and Wapping | British History Online |website=www.british-history.ac.uk |access-date=20 April 2008}}</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | The parish church of Ratcliffe, St. James in Butcher Row, was built in 1838 and served the area until 1951 (it was damaged during the ]), when the parish was merged with St. Paul, Shadwell.<ref> |
||
| ===The Ratcliffe Fire=== | ===The Ratcliffe Fire=== | ||
| The '''Ratcliffe Fire''' was the largest fire disaster in London between the ] of 1666 and the ] in 1940. The fire took place in July 1794 when a smaller fire ignited a barge loaded with ]. The conflagration that followed destroyed over 400 homes and 20 warehouses and left 1000 people homeless. Following the fire tents were set up near to ] whilst the area was rebuilt.<ref>F A Youngs, ''Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England'', Vol.I, London, 1979</ref> | The '''Ratcliffe Fire''' was the largest fire disaster in London between the ] of 1666 and the ] in 1940. The fire took place in July 1794 when a smaller fire ignited a barge loaded with ]. The conflagration that followed destroyed over 400 homes and 20 warehouses and left 1000 people homeless. Following the fire tents were set up near to ] whilst the area was rebuilt.<ref>F A Youngs, ''Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England'', Vol.I, London, 1979</ref> | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ==Population and area== | ==Population and area== | ||
| Line 50: | Line 56: | ||
| '''Hamlet of Ratcliffe 1801-1901''' | '''Hamlet of Ratcliffe 1801-1901''' | ||
| {| class="wikitable" |
{| class="wikitable" | ||
| ! Year<ref>Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV) - Census tables for the hamlet of Ratcliffe 1801-1901</ref> || 1801 || 1811 ||1821 || 1831 || 1841 || 1851 || 1861 || 1871 || 1881 || 1891 ||1901 | ! Year<ref>Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV) - Census tables for the hamlet of Ratcliffe 1801-1901</ref> || 1801 || 1811 ||1821 || 1831 || 1841 || 1851 || 1861 || 1871 || 1881 || 1891 ||1901 | ||
| |- | |- | ||
| ! Population || 5,666 || 6,998 ||6,973 ||9,741 || 11,874 || 15,212 || 16,874 || 16,131 || 16,107 || 14,928 || 14,810 |
! Population || 5,666 || 6,998 ||6,973 ||9,741 || 11,874 || 15,212 || 16,874 || 16,131 || 16,107 || 14,928 || 14,810 | ||
| |} | |} | ||
| Line 82: | Line 88: | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 03:18, 17 April 2024
District of East London, England This article is about an area in London, England. For other uses, see Ratcliffe (disambiguation).Human settlement in England
RatcliffLocation within Ratcliff or Ratcliffe is a locality in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames between Limehouse (to the east), and Shadwell (to the west). The place name is no longer commonly used.
History
Etymology and origin
The name Ratcliffe derives from the small sandstone cliff that stood above the surrounding marshes, it had a red appearance, hence Red-cliffe.
Ratcliff was historically part of the Manor and Ancient Parish of Stepney. The place name Stepney evolved from Stybbanhyð, first recorded around 1000 AD. Stybbanhyð probably translates into modern English as "Stybba's hithe (landing place)", with Stybba the individual who owned the Manor (estate). The hithe itself is thought to have been at Ratcliff, just under one-half mile (800 metres) south of St Dunstan's Church.
Civil and ecclesiastical administration
The hamlet was divided between the parishes of Limehouse and Stepney until 1866, when it was constituted a separate civil parish (as Ratcliffe). From 1855 it was administered by Limehouse District Board of Works, and in 1900 became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney. By the latter half of the nineteenth century, the condition of the area had improved somewhat - the 1868 'National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland' describes Ratcliffe as inhabited by persons connected with shipping and having extensive warehouses, with the area 'well paved, lighted with gas, and supplied with water from the reservoir at Old Ford'.
The parish church of Ratcliffe, St. James in Butcher Row, was built in 1838 and served the area until 1951 (it was damaged during the Second World War), when the parish was merged with St. Paul, Shadwell. In 1948 the church site became (and remains) the East London home of the Royal Foundation of St. Katharine. The social campaigner Father John Groser became the first Master of the Foundation in its new home.
The area was part of the historic (or ancient) county of Middlesex, but military and most (or all) civil county functions were managed more locally, by the Tower Division (also known as the Tower Hamlets).
The role of the Tower Division ended when Ratcliff became part of the new County of London in 1889. The County of London was replaced by Greater London in 1965.
History
Ratcliffe in earlier times was also known as "sailor town". It was originally known for shipbuilding but from the fourteenth century more for fitting and provisioning ships. In the sixteenth century various voyages of discovery were supplied and departed from Ratcliffe, including those of Willoughby and Frobisher. By the early seventeenth century it had the largest population of any Hamlet (administrative sub-division) in Stepney, with 3500 residents.
It was again a site of shipbuilding in the seventeenth century - a number of sailing warships were built for the Royal Navy here, including one of the earliest frigates, the Constant Warwick in 1645. Located at the western end of Narrow Street it was made up of lodging houses, bars, brothels, music halls and opium dens. This overcrowded and squalid district acquired an unsavoury reputation with a large transient population. In 1794 approximately half of the hamlet was destroyed in a fire but, even so, it continued as a notorious slum well into the nineteenth century.
From the late sixteenth century Ratcliffe and surrounding areas were notable areas for non-conformist Christianity. John Penry preached in the area in 1592/3, until he was spotted by the local vicar at Ratcliffe and subsequently hanged. By 1669 around 200 Presbyterians were worshipping at a warehouse at Ratcliffe Cross and there was a purpose built Quaker meeting house in Schoolhouse Lane, which was demolished by soldiers in 1670.
In late 1811 seven murders took place in Ratcliffe Highway (more recently St. George's Street), allegedly committed by a sailor named Williams, who committed suicide after being captured. The murders were later fictionalised in an account by Thomas De Quincey.
The Ratcliffe Fire
The Ratcliffe Fire was the largest fire disaster in London between the Great Fire of 1666 and the Blitz in 1940. The fire took place in July 1794 when a smaller fire ignited a barge loaded with saltpetre. The conflagration that followed destroyed over 400 homes and 20 warehouses and left 1000 people homeless. Following the fire tents were set up near to St. Dunstan's Church whilst the area was rebuilt.
Population and area
The hamlet of Ratcliffe covered 111 acres (0.4 km) and had a Census population of:
Hamlet of Ratcliffe 1801-1901
| Year | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 5,666 | 6,998 | 6,973 | 9,741 | 11,874 | 15,212 | 16,874 | 16,131 | 16,107 | 14,928 | 14,810 |
See also
- Ratcliff Highway murders
- St Dunstan's, Stepney
- The Highway (London)
- Cable Street
- Stepney Historical Trust
References
- "Stepney: Settlement and Building to c.1700 | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
- "Shadwell. East End's Free Art & History". Archived from the original on 12 March 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2008. accessed 20 April 2008
- "GENUKI: STEPNEY, Middlesex". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- "GENUKI: Anglican Churches in Stepney, Middlesex in 1890 , Middlesex". www.genuki.org.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- "The Royal Foundation of St. Katharine - Our History". Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2008. accessed 20 April 2008
- Fox Smith, C. (1923). Sailor Town Days. London: Methuen., p.29
- Land, Isaac (2020). "Trading in War: London's maritime world in the age of Cook and Nelson". The Mariner's Mirror. 106 (1): 104–106. doi:10.1080/00253359.2019.1665354. S2CID 213124998., p.104
- ^ "EoLFHS Parishes: Ratcliff". Archived from the original on 26 December 2005. Retrieved 15 December 2005. accessed 20 April 2008
- "Stepney: Protestant Nonconformity to 1689 | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
- "The Thames Tunnel, Ratcliff Highway and Wapping | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
- F A Youngs, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.I, London, 1979
- Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV) - Census tables for the hamlet of Ratcliffe 1801-1901
External links and information
- Ratcliffe https://web.archive.org/web/20051226015402/http://www.eolfhs.org.uk/parish/ratcliff.htm
- Ratcliffe https://web.archive.org/web/20060213214435/http://www.eastlondonhistory.com/ratcliff.htm
- The Ratcliffe waterfront http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/upload/img_200/PX9445.jpg
- The Museum in Docklands has an area set up to look like 'Sailortown' and information about the Ratcliffe Fire
- 1903 description of the Parish of St James, Ratcliff by Walter Besant
