Ratcliff

Ratcliff or Ratcliffe is a former hamlet lying by the north bank of the River Thames between Shadwell and Limehouse. It is now a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and is located to the south of Stepney.

History

Etymology

The name "Ratcliffe" derives from the small sandstone cliff that stood above the surrounding marshes, it had a red appearance, hence "Red-cliffe".

History

Ratcliffe in earlier times was also known as "sailor town", originally known for shipbuilding but from the fourteenth century more for fitting and provisioning ships.http://www.eolfhs.org.uk/parish/ratcliff.htm accessed 20th April 2008] In the sixteenth century various voyages of discovery were supplied and departed from Ratcliff, including those of Willoughby and Frobisherhttp://www.eolfhs.org.uk/parish/ratcliff.htm accessed 20th April 2008] . By the early seventeenth century it had the largest population of any village in Stepney, with 3500 residents.http://www.eolfhs.org.uk/parish/ratcliff.htm accessed 20th April 2008]

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 on the edge of Narrow Street on the Wapping waterfront 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 (see below) but, even so, it continued as a notorious slum well into the nineteenth century.

From the late sixteenth century Ratcliff 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 Ratcliff and subsequently hung. By 1669 around 200 Presbyterians were worshipping at a warehouse at Ratcliff Cross and there was a purpose built Quaker meeting house in Schoolhouse Lane, which was demolished by soldiers in 1670. [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22739 accessed 21 April 2008]

In late 1811 seven murders took place in Ratcliff Highway (more recently St. George's Street), committed by a sailor named Williams, who committed suicide after being captured. The murders were later fictionalised in an account by De Quincey. [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45082 accessed 20th April 2008]

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 [http://exploringeastlondon.co.uk/Shadwell/Shadwell.htm accessed 20th April 2008] . 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 Ratcliff 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'. [http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/genuki/MDX/Stepney/StepneyHistory.html accessed 20th April 2008]

The parish church of Ratcliff, 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. [http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/genuki/MDX/Stepney/churches.htm#step31 accessed 20th April 2008] In 1948 the church site became (and remains) the East London home of the Royal Foundation of St. Katharine. [http://www.stkatharine.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=40 accessed 20th April 2008]

The Ratcliff Fire

The Ratcliff 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. [F A Youngs, "Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England", Vol.I, London, 1979]

Population and area

The hamlet of Ratcliff covered convert|111|acre|km2|1 and had a Census population of:

Hamlet of Ratcliff 1801-1901

ee also

* Ratcliff Highway murders
* St Dunstan's, Stepney
* The Highway
* Stepney Historical Trust

References

External links and information

*Ratcliffe http://www.eolfhs.org.uk/parish/ratcliff.htm
*Ratcliffe 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 Ratcliff Fire