Stepney was an ancient civil and ecclesiastical parish in the historic county of Middlesex to the east and north east of the City of London. The area of the parish now makes up the majority of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
Toponymy[]
Stepney was recorded c.1000 as Stybbanhythe (Stybba’s haven or landing place) and was entered in Domesday Book as Stibenhede.[1]
History[]
By the 16th century, the episcopal manor of Stepney covered almost all of what became known as the East End.[2] In 1669, Stepney was reported to have several buildings fitted up as meeting houses, besides conventicles in private houses.[3]
In the 18th century, most London-registered ships sailed from docks in the parish. Stepney had became a popular place of residence for seamen and retired naval officers. Speculative developers built small groups of houses here, which included some short rows of terraced houses.[4]
Over the course of the 19th century, London expanded into Stepney and Jewish immigrants poured into parish.[5] The Beaumont Philosophical Institution, which was founded by Barber Beaumont, built Beaumont Square Gardens in 1840,[6] as a private garden.[7]
In 1900 the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney was created, as part of the County of London, replacing the dissolved civil parish.[8]
More information on the Wikipedia page [9]