parish of the county of Middlesex, in the hundred of Ossett, adjoining to London, and forming one of the suburbs, or rather a part of the metropolis. It was very extensive, and comprehended the districts on the side of the Thames, and extending till it united with Hackney, but has been divided into the distinct parishes of Stratford, Whitechapel, Limehouse, Wapping, Shadwell, Ratcliff Highway, Spitalfields, and Bethnal Green. It is commonly said by seamen, that all children born at sea are parishioners of Stepney, and that all the colonies of England are part and parcel of this parish, so as to make it the largest in the world. The population of the present division, containing four hamlets, Mile End Old Town, Mile End New Town, Poplar with Blackwall, and Ratcliff, amounted in 1801 to 23,260; in 1811 to 37,199; in 1821 to 49,163; and in 1831 to 67,872.