Ratcliff orRatcliffe is a locality in theLondon Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies on the north bank of theRiver Thames betweenLimehouse (to the east), andShadwell (to the west). The place name is no longer commonly used.
The nameRatcliffe derives from the small sandstone cliff that stood above the surrounding marshes, it had a red appearance, henceRed-cliffe.
Ratcliff was historically part of theManor and Ancient Parish of Stepney. The place name Stepney evolved fromStybbanhyð, 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 ofSt Dunstan's Church.[1]
The hamlet was divided between the parishes ofLimehouse andStepney until 1866, when it was constituted a separatecivil parish (as Ratcliffe). From 1855 it was administered by Limehouse District Board of Works, and in 1900 became part of theMetropolitan Borough of Stepney.[2] 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'.[3]
The parish church of Ratcliffe, St. James in Butcher Row, was built in 1838 and served the area until 1951 (it was damaged during theSecond World War), when the parish was merged with St. Paul, Shadwell.[4] In 1948 the church site became (and remains) the East London home of theRoyal Foundation of St. Katharine.[5] The social campaignerFather John Groser became the first Master of the Foundation in its new home.
The area was part of thehistoric (or ancient) county ofMiddlesex, but military and most (or all) civil county functions were managed more locally, by theTower Division (also known as the Tower Hamlets).
The role of theTower Division ended when Ratcliff became part of the newCounty of London in 1889. The County of London was replaced by Greater London in 1965.
Ratcliffe in earlier times was also known as "sailor town".[6][7] It was originally known for shipbuilding but from the fourteenth century more for fitting and provisioning ships.[8] In the sixteenth century various voyages of discovery were supplied and departed from Ratcliffe, including those ofWilloughby andFrobisher.[8] By the early seventeenth century it had the largest population of any Hamlet (administrative sub-division) in Stepney, with 3500 residents.[8]
It was again a site of shipbuilding in the seventeenth century - a number of sailing warships were built for theRoyal Navy here, including one of the earliest frigates, theConstant Warwick in 1645. Located at the western end ofNarrow Street it was made up of lodging houses, bars,brothels, music halls andopium 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 afire but, even so, it continued as a notoriousslum well into the nineteenth century.
From the late sixteenth century Ratcliffe and surrounding areas were notable areas fornon-conformistChristianity.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 builtQuaker meeting house in Schoolhouse Lane, which was demolished by soldiers in 1670.[9]
In late 1811 sevenmurders took place inRatcliffe 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 byThomas De Quincey.[10]
TheRatcliffe Fire was the largest fire disaster in London between theGreat Fire of 1666 and theBlitz in 1940. The fire took place in July 1794 when a smaller fire ignited a barge loaded withsaltpetre. The conflagration that followed destroyed over 400 homes and 20 warehouses and left 1000 people homeless. Following the fire tents were set up near toSt. Dunstan's Church whilst the area was rebuilt.[11]
The hamlet of Ratcliffe covered 111 acres (0.4 km2) and had a Census population of:
Hamlet of Ratcliffe 1801-1901
| Year[12] | 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 |
