Maryland, Essex
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| Maryland | |
| Essex | |
|---|---|
 Maryland | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | TQ383852 |
| Location: | 51°32’52"N, 0°0’21"W |
| Data | |
| Post town: | London |
| Postcode: | E15 |
| Dialling code: | 020 |
| Local Government | |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Stratford and Bow |
Maryland is a neighbourhood beside Stratford in Essex. The community centres around Maryland Station and borders Leytonstone to the north, Stratford New Town to the west and Forest Gate to the east, with Stratford town centre to the south-west.
History
Maryland's earliest known recorded appearance is on a map of Essex published by J. Oliver in 1696, where it is marked as 'Maryland Point'.[1]
The origin of the name is uncertain:
- One popular theory is that it originated with a rich local merchant who bought land and built in the area having returned from the then American colony of Maryland. Various attempts have been made to identify such a merchant. Richard Lee (1617–1664, great-great-grandfather of Confederate General Robert E. Lee), who emigrated to Virginia around 1640 and became a tobacco planter, trader, an owner and trader of slaves, had an estate which included land on the Maryland side of the Potomac River, near a place known as Maryland Point, on returning to England in 1658, Lee bought land in Stratford, and in 1662 was recorded as owning a large house there. However, retired history professor Ged Martin has questioned the American name-origin theory, finding limited documentary support for the story, and noting that Lee's interests were far more associated with Virginia than Maryland.[2]
- Professor Martin has put forward an explanation that the name has an etymology related to similar names in the region and derives from Old English words for a boundary, cognate to the Anglo-Saxon words mære and mearc.[3]
With the growth of Stratford in the mid-19th century the vicinity was built up as Stratford New Town, and Maryland gained a prosperous shopping thoroughfare. Maryland station opened in 1874.
References
- ↑ A History of the County of Essex - Volume 6 pp 43-50: West Ham: Introduction (Victoria County History)
- ↑ Jones, Lindsay (25 May 2020). "Is Stratford's Maryland an American plant on the Newham map?". Newham Recorder. https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/heritage/how-maryland-got-its-name-1-6667304.
- ↑ Martin, Ged (2020). "Maryland: an American place-name in east London?". https://www.gedmartin.net/martinalia-mainmenu-3/320-maryland-an-american-place-namein-east-london.