In the eleventh century,in 1066 to be precise,theNormans conquered England,and during the nextfew centuries London became one of the mostpowerful and prosperous cities in Europe.The EastEnd benefited from this,and because there werefewer restrictions there than in the city itself,plentyof newcomers settled there from abroad,bringingtheir skills as workers,merchants or money-lendersduring the next few hundred years.
In the sixteeth century the first dock was dug whereships were constructed,eventually making the EastEnd the focus of massive international trade.And in the late sixteenth century,when much ofthe rest of England was suffering economically,a lot of agricultural workers came to the EastEnd to look for Alternative work.
In the seventeenth century,the East End was still a series of separate,semi-ruralsettlements.There was a shortage of accommodation,so marshland was drained and built onto house the large numbers of peoople now living there.
By the nineteenth century London was the busiest port in the world,and this became the mainsource of employment in the East End.Those who could afford to live in more pleasantsurroundings moved out,and the area became one where the vast mmajority of people lived inextreme poverty,and suffered from appalling sanitary conditions.