Rowland Hirst (1848-1923) was a publican and local politician in the East End of London. Hirst was the proprietor of the Eagle Hotel, Snaresbrook and was a resident of Mile End Road. He was a member of the Mile End Board of Guardians,and in 1900 he became an alderman on the newly-created Stepney Borough Council. He served three consecutive terms as Mayor of Stepney in 1904-07. The story was reported extensively in the press: [1] provides a summary. The Old Bailey page is [2].