Wapping, Middlesex Genealogy

England   Middlesex   Wapping

Parish History
WAPPING (St. John the Evangelist), a parish, adjoining the city of London on the east, in the union of Stepney, Tower division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county of Middlesex; containing 4108 inhabitants. This place, originally overflowed by the Thames, was recovered from inundation, and denominated Wapping Wash, in the time of Queen Elizabeth, under whose auspices it was inclosed and defended by walls. In the early part of the reign of Charles II. it comprised one street, which extended from within a quarter of a mile of the Tower, along the Thames, to the entrance of the present St. Katherine's Docks. In the reign of William and Mary it was made a parish, by act of parliament. About the end of the last century, upwards of 60 houses and other buildings were destroyed by fire, and several lives lost, from the explosion of some barrels of gunpowder; the damage sustained on which occasion was estimated at more than £200,000.

The parish consists of several streets, paved, and lighted with gas; the main street has been widened in several places within the last few years, and the inhabitants are well supplied with water. The business transacted is chiefly of a maritime and commercial character, and the construction of the London Docks has materially contributed to its growth. The living is a rectory not in charge; net income, £258; patrons, the Principal and Fellows of Brasenose College, Oxford. The church contains a very fine monument by Roubilliac. There is a place of worship for Roman Catholics. A free school was established by subscription, in 1704; and in 1822, its funds were augmented by a bequest of £5000 from Samuel Troutbeck, of Madras, Esq. Thomas Dilworth, author of the spellingbook, and a system of arithmetic, was master of the school. On the abdication of James II., the notorious Judge Jeffreys, who had fled in order to escape the probable effects of popular rage, assumed the disguise of a sailor, and concealed himself for a short time in an obscure part of Wapping, but was at last discovered and committed to the Tower, where he died in a few days.

1. Samuel Lewis, ed. A Topographical Dictionary of England 457-461. (London: S. Lewis and Co., 1848), Online | here.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
To find the names of the neighboring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, non conformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection

Census records
Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Middlesex Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Poor Law Unions
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Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
Contributor: Add any relevant sites that aren’t mentioned above.