Hackney then and now

The Hackney of five centuries ago was smaller, quieter and much more dangerous than it is today.

Hackney in the time of Henry VIII was just the area round what is now the Narroway (then called Church Street). Other parts of what is now the London Borough of Hackney, such as Homerton, Dalston, Stoke Newington and Clapton, were separate villages lined by paths. For example, Clarence Road, then called Back Lane, was the path from Hackney to Clapton. The route would have led past a large market garden on the site of the Pembury Estate and through fields belonging to several small farmers.

Even though the area has changed so much, there are many ways of building up a picture of what life was like there nearly five centuries ago.

Only two buildings survive, but they are among the most important.

The first, Sutton House was newly built by Ralph Sadleir, a newly successful young administrator and member of the staff of Thomas Cromwell.

The second, St Augustine’s Church Tower, is the surviving section of the parish church, in Tudor times the centre of local life for everyone.

The second, St Augustine’s Church Tower (add own link to main map – the church is already circled, but not named and no copy), is the surviving section of the parish church, in Tudor times the centre of local life for everyone.No one knows exactly how many people lived in Tudor Hackney – we are long before the days of census returns. But it became compulsory at this time to record all births, marriages and deaths, and some of those records survive. We also have wills, details of court cases and a few letters to help us.