The
top image shows King John’s Gate at Stepney, reputed in the late
eighteenth century to be the oldest house in Stepney.
The
ancient name of Stepney was Stibenhede, Stibenhythe or Stebunhethe,
the Saxon terminations signifying a haven or wharf. Steb possibly refers
to the Saxon word for timber, so Stepney may in ancient times have been
named for its timber wharf.
The
village of Stepney lay to the east of London, and was divided into four
hamlets: Ratcliffe (in which the church
was situated), Mile-end Old-town; Mile-End New-town, and the hamlet
of Poplar and Blackwell. The ancient manor of Stepney belonged to the
bishopric of London. In the sixteenth century, with the dissolution
of the monasteries, the manor passed into private hands.
