Other history bits
Stoek Newington residents
Obviously data is limited to what was recorded, but for example, records from the 15th century show that two Flanders lived in Stoke Newington in 1436, and a shot was fired at the king from a Stoke Newington house in 1675. In 1709 the parish built four houses to accommodate Protestant refugees from
the Rhine Palatinate.
Among the wealthy Quakers living in the town houses on Church Street was John Wilmer, who in 1764 was buried in a vault in his garden, with a bell attached to his wrist in case he was not dead.
The writer Daniel Defoe (1661-1731) was part of the Nonconformist community living in Stoke Newington. His house stood on what is now 92 Church Street and he lived in Sutton House for his last 20 years. He had a civet cat farm in Newington Green. He was educated at Newington Green school as did Edgar Allan Poe almost 2 centuries later (from 1817 to 1820.
Abney Park Cemetery (1840) is an example of one of the Magnificent Seven
cemeteries around London. It was jointly designed by George Loddiges, the famous Hackney horticulturalist/
botanist and was popular with Nonconformists.
Among its more famous inhabitants are William
Booth, and Catherine Booth founders of the Salavation Army,
and Joanna Vassa, daughter of Olaudah Equiano, the famous anti-slavery author and campaigner.
The fountain on the common is dedicated to Florence Du Vergier, the first female mayor of Hackney and a lifetime campaigner for decent housing, education and health services.
Other well-known (in their own field
at least) former local residents, include Marc Bolan of the glam rock band T. Rex,
who lived at 25 Stoke Newington Common, until he was 15. Frederick Lewis
Demuth one of Karl Marx’s sons (1851-1929) died at 13 Stoke Newington Common in
January 1929.
