Raine Street, E1W

Place Name

Named in honour of local brewer and devout churchgoer Henry Raine (1679 – 1738) who in 1719 used his wealth to found two schools in the area, one for 50 local boys and the other for 50 local girls. The boys were to learn skilled trades as well as reading, writing and arithmetic, the girls domestic work including sewing. Raine had been left heartbroken when Sarah Petre, his wife of only six months, died. He never married again. Aside from the schools he also provided dowries for the girls should they get married. Any local girl aged 22 or over who had a certificate of their good character would be entered into an annual draw and two winners would be awarded £100 each.

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