Metropolitan Borough of Stepney

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The Metropolitan Borough of Stepney was a metropolitan borough in the County of London created in 1900. In 1965 it became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The borough was created by combining the areas of the Stepney and Whitechapel District Boards of Works, and comprised the following civil parishes and extra parochial places:

The area maps roughly to the London postcode E1.

The road sign in front of Mile End tube station still has Borough of Stepney just visible on it.

Population

The population of the Metropolitan Borough at each census was as follows:

1901: 298,600
1911: 279,804
1921: 249,657
1931: 225,238
1951: 98,858
1961: 92,000

Borough seal and coat of arms

Seal adopted in 1900

On the formation of the metropolitan borough the corporation adopted a seal depicting the patron saints of the

parishes that made up the borough. These were St Anne, Limehouse, St Mary Matfelon, Whitechapel, St Dunstan, for Stepney and St George in the East. In the centre was a depiction of the Tower of London. At the top of the seal was a sailing ship, recalling the legend that all persons born on the high seas, could claim Stepney as their birthplace. The more modern ship and quayside at the bottom of the seal was for the borough's docks.On the left of the seal was a picture of a steam locomotive, for the London and Blackwall Railway, and on the right a loom for the historic weaving industry.

Arms granted in 1931

In 1931 the seal was replaced by an official coat of arms, granted by the College of Arms. The main item on the shield is a ship on the waves of the sea, for the various maritime interests of Stepney. At the top of the shield are shown a version of the arms of the City of London, but with an anchor replacing the sword in the city's arms. On either side of this were placed tomgs, symbol of St Dunstan, patron saint of Stepney. The crest on the top of the helm featured a mural crown, representing the battlemants of the Tower of London. Atop the crown were two crossed gold anchors. The Latin motto: A magnis ad maiora, can be translated as from great things to greater. When Stepney became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the arms of the new borough were based on Stepney's, and an English language version of the motto was adopted.

Sources

Youngs, F. A., Guide to Local Administrative Units of England, Vol. 1, Southern England, London, 1979
Vision of Britain website [link]

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