Earlsfield Congregational Church began as a mission church of East Hill Congregational Church. It became independent in 1892. Earlsfield is a south-west London suburb near Wandsworth.
The East Molesey Methodist Church is situated on Manor Road, off the main Walton Road, in East Molesey. It is part of the Teddington Circuit.
Saint Cuthbert's United Reformed Church, Elmcourt Road, West Norwood, Lambeth has now closed.
The Air-Raid Precautions Act of 1937 required local authorities to make schemes for neutralising, reducing or repairing the effects of enemy action against the civilian population. The London County Council immediately set up a special Air Raid Precautions sub-committee to organise and supervise arrangements made under the Act. During 1938 and 1939 the Council developed plans and preparations for the fire and ambulance services, precautions to be taken in relation to mains drainage and at residential establishments, for the evacuation of children and for other measures to be taken in the event of national emergency.
Poplar Methodist Church is situated in Emery Hall, Annabel Close, near to Queen Victoria's Seaman's Rest. It is part of the Tower Hamlets Circuit.
The Providence Baptist Chapel, Islington, is now the Highbury Baptist Church, situated on Highbury Place opposite Highbury Fields Park.
The New Church at Pembridge Villas, Kensington is a Swedenborgian church, following the religious teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish scientific and religious writer (1688-1772).
South Ruislip Methodist Church is situated on Queen's Walk. It was opened in 1951.
The Local Government Act 1894 made provision for local self-government in England and Wales in the form of parish councils for every rural parish with a population of 300 and upwards. The existing rural and urban sanitary authorities became the new district councils. Further re-arrangement of districts was carried out by review, by county councils under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1929.
Rating remained in the hands of the parish overseers in 1894, although under the Public Health Act 1875 a general district rate was levied by the urban authorities. The Rating and Valuation Act 1925 abolished the rating powers of the overseers of the poor and named the new rating authorities as the councils of every county borough and urban and rural districts. A consolidated rate - 'the general rate' - replaced the confusion of various separate rates. In addition, a new valuation list was to be made for every rating area, to come into force on either 1 April 1928 or l April 1929, followed by a second list in 1932, 1933 or 1934. Instructions were given in the act for draft valuation lists and records of totals to be made.
Staines Urban District Council was formed in 1894 and comprised Staines and part of Stanwell. In it was expanded to include Ashford, Laleham, and all of Stanwell (including Stanwell Moor and Poyle). As a result of local government re-organisation in the Greater London area, Staines Urban District was transferred to the administrative county of Surrey with effect from 1 April 1965. Urban district councils were abolished in 1974.
Ruislip Common Chapel was built in 1854 and taken over for use by a Methodist congregation in 1882. It is now closed.
'The Craiglands', Cowpasture Road, Ilkley, West Yorkshire was built in 1859 as one of the largest purpose-built hydropathic health establishments in the country. Hydropathy concerns the immersing of the body in cold water or applying wet compresses to affected parts of the body to drive out 'morbid matters'. The first proprietors were the Dobson Brothers, one of the brothers being Dr Henry Dobson, physician, who supervised all the treatments offered to patients. Grounds were laid out to the requirements of invalids together with a large recreational hall for indoor sports, public concerts and theatrical performances. The company was known from at least before 1906 as Craigland's Hydro Limited, and later became Craiglands Hotel Limited. Later acquired by J Lyons and Company Limited. As of 2011 The Craiglands Hotel continued to offer six acres of grounds, 'breathtaking views', accommodation and food.
Main source of information: http://www.craiglands.co.uk/ accessed 15 August 2011.
H Cohen and Company Limited were flour importers and merchants. Their registered office was at 6 Great Garden Street, Whitechapel (1931); later Flenlite House, Lots Road, Chelsea (1966). The company was later acquired by J Lyons and Company Limited.
The Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) ran 33 Adult Education Institutes.
West Street was renamed Braintree Street in 1915. It runs from Sceptre Road to Malcolm Road. Number 86 is not listed in the Post Office Directories and may have been a private property rather than a business address.
The Home Mission Division of the Methodist Church is based at Central Buildings, Westminster. It is responsible for promotion of the Methodist Mission at 'home', that is in the UK. The Methodist Church in Britain is arranged into over 600 Circuits, which in turn are grouped into 32 Districts covering Great Britain, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Each District is supervised by a District Synod.
Circuits and missions in the London North East District include: London City Road, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Hackney, Stoke Newington, Finsbury park and Southgate, Tottenham, Enfield, Waltham Abbey and Hertford, [Epping] Forest, Barking and Ilford, West Essex, Bishop's Stortford, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Romford, Grays, Southend-on-sea, Leigh-on-sea, Basildon, Chelmsford, Colchester, Manningtree and Harwich, Clacton-on-Sea.
Circuits and missions in the London North-West District include: Notting Hill, Highgate, Harrow, Finchley and Hendon, Wembley, Harlesden, Barnet, Watford, Hemel Hempstead and Berkhamstead, Saint Albans, Harpenden, Hitchin and Letchworth, Stevenage, Welwyn, Luton, Dunstable, Bedford, Biggleswade, Leighton Buzzard and Stewkley, Milton Keynes, High Wycombe, Amersham, Aylesbury, Thame and Watlington.
Circuits and missions in the London South-West District include: Victoria and Chelsea, Broomwood and Clapham, Battersea, Lambeth, Hammersmith and Fulham, Richmond and Hounslow, Teddington, Ealing and Acton, Southall, Hillingdon, Wimbledon, Tooting, Kingston-upon-Thames, Staines and Feltham, Thames Valley, Sutton, Redhill and East Grinstead, Dorking and Horsham, Mid Sussex, Eastbourne, Brighton and Hove, Worthing, Guildford, Farnham and Alton, Basingstoke, Woking, Aldershot, Farnborough and Camberley, South East Berkshire.
Circuits and missions in the London South-East District include: Brixton, Streatham and Dulwich, Sydenham and Forest Hill, Walworth, Blackheath and Lewisham, Shooters Hill, Plumstead, Bromley, Orpington, Chislehurst, Croydon, Purley, Gravesend and Dartford, Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Hastings, Bexhill and Rye, The Medway Towns, Maidstone, Sittingbourne and Sheerness, Canterbury, Thanet, Dover and Deal, Folkestone and Ashford.
When the London Coal and Wine Duties Continuance Bill was before the House of Commons in 1868, it met strong opposition. The suggestion was made that some compensation should be given by setting free the bridges across the Thames and Lea. This suggestion was embodied in the Act of 1868 by which the duties for the year 1888-9 were to be applied in the first instance to freeing from toll the following bridges: Kew, Kingston, Hampton Court, Walton and Staines on the Thames, and then Chingford and Tottenham Mills Bridges (including Hellyer's Ferry Bridge) upon the River Lea. These objects were provided for by the Kew and other Bridges Act of 1869 and an amendment Act of 1874 by which a Joint Committee of the Corporation of London and the Metropolitan Board of Works was appointed. The Coal and Wine Duties of 1888-9 were allocated as security for raising the necessary funds. The total cost of the purchase of the bridges was £155,485.2.0.
Staines Bridge was of Roman origin and was for many centuries the first bridge across the Thames above London. The newest bridge was built in 1828-1834. The title deeds of this bridge include many relating to the approaches of the old bridge, the site of the Bush Inn and Gardens. At the time of the freeing of the bridge, it was owned as a public trust. After negotiation the Solicitor to the Committee obtained agreement among the bondholders to accept a quarter of the capital sum, and a verdict for this amount was given on 2nd August 1870. The bridge was opened free of toll on 25th February 1871.
Battersea Bridge was built in 1771-2. It was constructed from wood to the designs of Henry Holland to replace the ferry between Chelsea and Battersea. The bridge was demolished in 1881 as boats often collided with the piers, but it had already contributed to the growth of Chelsea from a village to a small town. The present bridge with cast iron arches and designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette was erected 1886-90.
Fulham Bridge, now known as Putney Bridge, was a timber bridge built between 1727 and 1729 to a design by Sir Jacob Ackworth. Until 1750 it was the only bridge across the Thames west of London Bridge. The Metropolitan Board of Works purchased the bridge in 1879 and freed it from tolls. It had been damaged by a barge in 1870 and the MBW set about commissioning a new, granite bridge from Sir Joseph Bazalgette, completed in 1886 and still standing.
Waterloo Bridge, designed by Rennie, was built by a private company which obtained an act of Parliament for that purpose in 1809. Work began in 1811 and the original intention was to use the name 'Strand Bridge'. The project was renamed 'Waterloo Bridge' in 1816, a year before it opened in 1817. In 1878 it was acquired by the Metropolitan Board of Works and the existing tolls were abandoned. Structural defects were soon discovered and repaired, but in the 1920's, the bridge was declared unsafe. The London County Council replaced it with a design by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott which was erected 1939-1944.
Vauxhall Bridge was begun in 1811 to a design by Rennie, but two years later the Vauxhall Bridge Company decided to adopt James Walker's cast iron design as it was cheaper. The bridge was opened in 1816 and was at first called Regent's Bridge. It was the first iron bridge over the Thames. In 1895 to 1906 a new bridge was constructed designed by Sir Alexander Binnie.
Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.
Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.
Brentford Poor Law Union was formed in June 1836. It had 10 constituent parishes: Acton, New Brentford, Chiswick, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Heston, Isleworth, Perivale and Twickenham, with the later addition of West Twyford. The Brentford Union Workhouse was constructed on Twickenham Road in 1837. A separate school, called Percy House, was built on the same site in 1883. Between 1895 and 1902 the workhouse was rebuilt with an infirmary being erected on the older site, and a new, much larger workhouse placed to the south-east, near Isleworth. It was considered to be a very well designed and spacious building. From 1920, the infirmary was known as West Middlesex Hospital.
Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.
The 1834 Poor Law Act led to improvements in the arrangements made for the education of pauper children. Unions, and parishes regulated by local acts, were persuaded to establish schools and to appoint schoolmasters. The policy of separating the children from their parents and sending them, if possible, to the country was continued and in 1866 several Middlesex metropolitan authorities were sending children to schools outside London. The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1844 made possible a further development in this field which was of significance for the metropolitan area. Unions and parishes were empowered to unite and to form a school district which then set up a large separate school for the education of all the indoor pauper children of the constituents of the district. In 1849 the Central London School District (comprising the City of London, West London, and East London Unions, and St. Saviour's parish) took over Aubin's School at Norwood and improved it.
The Brentwood School District was established in 1877 by the Hackney and Shoreditch Poor Law Unions. Pauper children from Shoreditch and Hackney were sent to an industrial school in Brentwood, Essex (known as the Hackney branch Institution) which had been established by the Shoreditch Board of Guardians in 1852. The school was the subject of a scandal in 1894 when it emerged that the staff treated the children with terrible cruelty, resulting in the imprisonment of a member of staff. The school later became Saint Faith's Hospital and is now the site of offices.
The Brentwood School District also ran the Harold Court School, situated on Church Road in Harold Wood. Harold Court was built in 1868 as a mansion house for a wealthy Brentwood solicitor, who became bankrupt in 1882 when the house was taken over by the School District. The school was later used as a lunatic asylum and tuberculosis hospital. In 1958 the hospital closed and in 1960 the house became a teacher training college. It is now private flats.
The Brentwood School District was dissolved in 1885.
Sources: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 1, pp. 213-240 (available online) and Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.
Under the provisions of the Asylums Act 1853, the Corporation of London was empowered by statute to provide an Asylum to house the insane of the City of London. Land was acquired at Stone, near Dartford, Kent, in 1859 and in July of the same year James Bunstone Bunning, the City's Clerk of the Works (later City Architect and Surveyor), was instructed to prepare plans and estimates. These were laid before the special Lunatic Asylum Committee at the end of September 1859. Initially provision was made for more than 300 patients but this was reduced to 250 by the Commissioners in Lunacy in 1860. The Asylum was officially opened on 16th April 1866 and was managed by a Committee of Visitors composed of Aldermen and JP's.
By 1872 the asylum was full and extensions were necessary. Development soon began on a new wing, opened in 1875. The passing of the 1890 Lunacy Act meant the Hospital could take advantage of the authority contained therein and admit private patients. From 1st January 1892 it was in a position to do so; and by 1897 such was the demand for accommodation of private patients - who wore their own clothes, had improved dietary provision and had separate wards from the pauper patients - that some admissions were declined. By 1910 305 of the 610 patients in the hospital were private. By 1921 the number of private patients had risen to 357.
By November 1905, the Visiting Committee wanted to adopt the description 'City of London Mental Hospital' instead of asylum. The 1923 Mental Treatment Bill confirmed the term 'Mental Hospital' replaced 'Asylum'; and from 1924 the name of the hospital was changed to the City of London Mental Hospital. After the Local Government Act 1929 conferred upon the London County Council the mental and isolation hospitals formerly run by the Metropolitan Asylums Board (MAB) and local Boards of Guardians, there was discussion over whether the City of London Mental Hospital should be similarly transferred. The Visiting Committee strongly opposed this and it was agreed the hospital could remain under the auspices of the City of London. In July 1948 the Hospital passed out of the Corporation's administrative control into that of the NHS.
During April 1948, the Darenth and Stone Hospital's Management Committee (DSHMC) was set up as part of the transferral programme of hospitals into the NHS. The other hospitals in the group were Darenth Park and Mabledon Park, Maidstone. All apart from Stone House had been previously run by the LCC. Re-organisation of the Heath Service in June 1971 meant that Stone House and Mabledon and Darenth Park amalgamated with the Dartford Hospital Management Committee, forming the Dartford and Darenth Hospital Management Committee.
In April 1973, when Health Boards were re-organised again, this time as Area Health Authorities, the hospital group came under the Dartford and Gravesham Heath District. In 1998 the Trust in charge of Stone House, Thameslink Healthcare NHS, agreed the hospital was no longer suitable for provision of modern healthcare and would be closed in line with Department of Health policies. This decision was carried forward by the next healthcare providers Thames Gateway NHS Trust. The West Kent NHS and Social Care Trust started the work of closing the hospital in 2003, and after 139 years of service, Stone House finally closed in 2005. The main hospital, chapel, service blocks, and staff accommodation presently survive largely unaltered - they are Grade II listed - but are becoming run down and await suitable redevelopment.
See also website managed by Francine Payne: http://www.dartfordhospitalhistories.org.uk/ (correct as of August 2010).
The London court of orphans was established in the middle ages, with the first recorded case heard in 1276. The mayor and aldermen, sitting in the Inner Chamber of the Guildhall, handled cases relating to the care of the orphans of freedmen. When a freedman died with children who were underage, the executor of his will was obliged to report the death at the Guildhall. He then agreed to produce an inventory of the dead man's estate, from which the worth of the dead man was calculated and then divided between the widow, any legitimate children and finally anyone else specified in the will of the deceased. The court appointed guardians, usually the widow or close relatives, to care for the orphans and their inheritance until the orphan reached the age of majority. The guardian had to give a recognizance, or promise, guaranteeing that they would pay the orphan their full inheritance when they came of age. The recognizance had to be confirmed by at least three sureties, people who would pay the monies owed in the event of the guardian becoming bankrupt. In 1492 the court began the custom of meeting on every second Monday during Lent and summoning all sureties to make sure they could still meet their obligations. Guardians were monitored to ensure that they did not cheat the orphan out of their money, and, in the case of female orphans, were not married inappropriately. Guardians who did not obey the court could be imprisoned or fined.
By 1560 the number of cases handled by the court had expanded rapidly although no single officer was ever responsible for the court. Instead several officers were responsible for seeing that court business took place: the mayor and aldermen heard cases; the common serjeant acted as advocate for the orphans; the common crier made inventories and ensured that new cases were reported; the chamberlain took recognizances and took deposit of the inheritance if it was decided not to give it to the care of a guardian, and the clerk of orphans performed a range of administrative duties in this, as well as other, courts. Tables and scales were introduced which determined how much a funeral could cost, how much a guardian could deduct from the inheritance to cover the cost of maintenance of the orphan, and what fees could be charged by the court.
The court of orphans played an important financial role within the City of London because inheritances were increasingly deposited with the chamberlain, who used the money as loan capital when borrowing to help shore up the city's worsening finances. The court therefore suffered a decline during the 1680s and 1690s, when the city experienced a financial collapse and money due to orphans could not be paid. Several orphans petitioned Parliament for payment of their inheritance, leading to the passing of the Orphans' Act in March 1694. This led to the formation of an Orphans' Fund which consolidated all the city's debts for ease of repayment. The incident marked the end of the traditional court of orphans and the government curtailed London's medieval legal practices in 1724, although some intestacy functions did continue until the 1850s. The legal functions of the court were taken over by Chancery.
Billingsgate Market is the oldest of the markets owned by the Corporation of London. The earliest reference to the market is found in a monastic chronicle which records laws for the regulation of the customs on ships at 'Blynesgate' made by King Ethelred in AD 976. The citizens of London were granted the right to collect tolls at Billingsgate in 1400 by Henry IV. In May 1699 an Act of Parliament conferred special privileges on the market, which was declared an open market for the sale of fish six days in the week, with mackerel to be sold on Sundays.
Originally fish was sold from stalls and sheds around the dock at Billingsgate. In 1850 a market building was constructed on Lower Thames Street but it proved to be inadequate and was demolished in 1873 to make way for the building which still stands today. Designed by Sir Horace Jones (who also designed Leadenhall and Smithfield markets), Billingsgate opened in 1876. The building is now a landmark Grade 2 listed structure.
The Billingsgate Market Acts of 1846 and 1871 and the City of London (Various Powers) Acts of 1973, 1979, 1987 and 1990, have confirmed the City's role as the Market Authority and laid down its responsibilities and rights, including the making of regulations, byelaws and the collection of tolls, rents and other charges. The Billingsgate and Leadenhall markets were controlled by the same superintendent who reported back to the Market Committee of the City of London.
In 1869 the government introduced the Cattle Diseases Prevention Act which introduced the practice of slaughtering imported foreign animals at the dock where they landed and not allowing them to progress inland while living. This prevented diseases spreading to domestic livestock. The Dockyard at Deptford had become outdated and was no longer suitable for the launching of ships. The Corporation of London bought the old dockyard and converted it into a cattle market and slaughterhouse for the reception of foreign cattle entering London. The market covered twenty-three acres and included pens for 4000 cattle and 12000 sheep as well as three jetties for the unloading of the livestock. It was opened in 1871 and soon became the principal market for the sale of foreign cattle, taking over this role from the Metropolitan Cattle Market at Islington, which continued to handle domestic cattle sales.
Newgate Market was probably a medieval foundation, mentioned in a Charter by King Stephen (1097-1154). It was situated between Rose Street, Newgate Street, Paved Alley and Paternoster Row, near St Paul's Cathedral. Before the Great Fire of London it was held in open stalls down the middle of the street, but after the fire it was relocated to an open piece of ground and a market building was erected. The market sold pigs and poultry as well as game, butter and eggs - with Leadenhall Market, it was the principal supply of pork and poultry to the City. The Market was abolished in 1869 when Smithfield Market was opened, and its site is now occupied by Paternoster Square.
Smithfield Market was well established by 1174, when a Friday market for horses, pigs and cattle was held. The City of London gained rights over the market in 1327, under a charter granted by Edward III. In 1852 the live cattle market was relocated to a new site in Islington to ease pressures of space.
In 1860 the market was reorganised and renamed following the passing of the Metropolitan Meat and Poultry Market Act. Work began in 1866 on rebuilding the two main sections of the market, the East and West Buildings. The buildings, designed by architect Sir Horace Jones (who also designed Billingsgate and Leadenhall Markets), were completed in November 1868. These buildings were built above railway lines, enabling meat to be delivered directly to the market.
The principal meat market buildings were opened as the Metropolitan Meat and Poultry Market on 1 December 1868. An additional building was opened as the Poultry and Provisions Market on 30 November 1875. A few months earlier the market complex had been renamed the London Central Markets.
When the London Coal and Wine Duties Continuance Bill was before the House of Commons in 1868, it met strong opposition. The suggestion was made that some compensation should be given by setting free the bridges across the Thames and Lea. This suggestion was embodied in the Act of 1868 by which the duties for the year 1888-1889 were to be applied in the first instance to freeing from toll the following bridges: Kew, Kingston, Hampton Court, Walton and Staines on the Thames, and then Chingford and Tottenham Mills Bridges (including Hellyer's Ferry Bridge) upon the River Lea. These objects were provided for by the Kew and other Bridges Act of 1869 and an amendment Act of 1874 by which a Joint Committee of the Corporation of London and the Metropolitan Board of Works was appointed. The Coal and Wine Duties of 1888-1889 were allocated as security for raising the necessary funds. The total cost of the purchase of the bridges was £155,485.2.0.
Kingston Bridge was vested in the Bailiffs and Freemen of the town, but mortgaged in 1826 to the Commissioners for the issue of Exchequer Bills for Public Works. It was thus a simple matter for the Committee in 1870 to redeem the outstanding debt of £15,600. On 12th March 1870 the bridge was opened free of toll.
Walton Bridge was owned by Thomas Newland Allen of the Vache, Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks. He claimed compensation of £29,510 from the Committee, but a jury summoned by the Sheriff of Middlesex assessed the value at £7,000. This was paid to Allen and the bridge was opened on 1st August 1870.
Staines Bridge was of Roman origin and was for many centuries the first bridge across the Thames above London. The newest bridge was built in 1828-1834. The title deeds of this bridge include many relating to the approaches of the old bridge, the site of the Bush Inn and Gardens. At the time of the freeing of the bridge, it was owned as a public trust. After negotiation the Solicitor to the Committee obtained agreement among the bondholders to accept a quarter of the capital sum, and a verdict for this amount was given on 2nd August 1870. The bridge was opened free of toll on 25th February 1871.
Kew Bridge was owned by Henry Hewett Mason by 1865 who claimed £73,832 as compensation, and although this claim was later moderated, £60,000 was the least he would accept voluntarily. The matter went to arbitration and he was awarded £57,300. The bridge was opened on 8th February 1873.
Hampton Court Bridge was owned by Thomas Newland Allen who claimed £61,600. The matter went to arbitration and an award of £48,048 was made on 19th April 1876. The bridge was freed on 8th July.
Tottenham Mills Bridge was owned by the New River Company which claimed £7,245 as compensation. A jury awarded £1,750. Chingford Bridge and Hellyer's Ferry Bridge at Tottenham were both owned by the East London Waterworks Company. The sums of £3,382 and £1,568 respectively were settled for the bridges. All three bridges were freed on 23rd February 1878.
Blackfriars Bridge was constructed by Bridge House Estates, Corporation of London, in 1760 and opened in 1769, designed by engineer Robert Mylne. There was a toll for crossing the bridge until 1875 - a halfpenny for every foot passenger rising to a penny on Sundays. The bridge had to be extensively repaired in 1833 but was still not satisfactory and eventually it was decided to construct a new bridge.
The new Blackfriars Bridge was designed by Joseph Cubitt to be wider than the old bridge, less steep, and with fewer arches to allow water flow. Work began in 1865 and was finished by 1870.
The office of Sheriff predates the Norman Conquest and refers to a high officer and representative of royal authority in a shire, who was responsible for the administration of the law. London had two sheriffs who were elected in September of each year. In the City of London each Sheriff was responsible for a Compter, a city prison for debtors and other civil prisoners. Wood Street Compter was a medieval foundation with room for 70 inmates. It was divided into three sections for the rich, the comfortable and the poor. The Wood Street Compter was amalgamated with the Giltspur Street Compter in 1791.
The administration of prisons and compters in London was the responsibility of the two Sheriffs. They in turn reported to the Court of Aldermen who issued orders and decrees relating to prison management.
The conservancy of the River Thames was entrusted to the citizens of London by various charters from 1197 and continued to be exercised by the Corporation until 1857. The jurisdiction extended from the River Colne near Staines to Yantlett Creek, Kent. Jurisdiction over the Thames from Staines to the sea was transferred to the Thames Conservators in 1857, several of whom continued to be appointed by the Corporation. An Act of 1866 added responsibility for the Upper Thames, at the same time increasing the number of Conservators. The powers of the Conservators in respect of the lower river as far as Teddington were vested in the Port of London Authority by the Port of London Act 1908. At the same time a new Thames Conservancy Act reconstituted the Thames Conservancy Board which administered the Upper Thames until 1974 when the Thames Water Authority was created as one of a series of regional water authorities. The Thames Water Authority also has some responsibilities (e.g. for fresh-water fishing) in the lower river.
The Court of Judicature or 'Fire Court' was created by statute to settle disputes as to boundaries, old foundations, encroachments and so on, in connection with the rebuilding of the City after the Great Fire of 1666.
The records of Courts of Law show the civic authorities dealing with criminal matters as agents of the Crown within the City, and, within their own courts, adjudicating upon civic and commercial matters brought before them.
The Guildhall School of Music evolved from the Guildhall Orchestral Society. It was founded by the Corporation of London in 1880 and was governed by the Music Committee. It was not called the Guildhall School of Music and Drama until 1934.
The first premises were in a converted warehouse on Aldermanbury near Moorgate, but these very soon proved inadequate and the school was moved to the Thames Embankment in 1886. The school moved to the Barbican in 1977.
Robert Orlando Morgan, F.G.S.M. (1865-1956). Born in Manchester in 1865, the son of Peter and Elizabeth Morgan, Robert Orlando Morgan entered the Guildhall School of Music at the age of 15 in 1880, where he won the Merchant Taylors' scholarship, and the Webster prize. By the time he was 22, he was a teacher and examiner at the School, and in 1894, he was awarded the first prize and gold medal at the Grand Concours Internationale de Composition Musicale at Brussels. His comic opera, 'Two Merry Monarchs', was produced at the Savoy Theatre in 1910. He composed a large number of songs and piano pieces, and undertook editions of the works of other composers, particularly J.S. Bach. Having been Professor of Pianoforte and Composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama 1887-1951, he retired in 1951 at the age of 86. He married the singer Annie Elizabeth Morley, who died in 1952, and they had two sons, Raymond and Cyril Douglas. Robert Orlando Morgan died in London on 16 May 1956, aged 91, and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 19 May 1956.
Cyril Douglas Morgan was the second son of Robert Orlando Morgan, and was appointed to the post of junior clerk in the Chamberlain's Office of the Corporation of London on 21 April 1913. He was apprenticed to Percy Oswald Pickering, Clerk of the Chamberlain's Court 1901-1936, and became a City Freeman in November 1920. He remained in the Chamberlain's Office all his working life, being appointed Principal Clerk on 1 October 1946, from which post he retired in 1958. He became a Liveryman of the Merchant Taylors' Company on 20 May 1943. He served in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers during the First World War and was awarded the M.C., being severely wounded several times: he was a Lieutenant, acting Captain when last wounded, in 1918.
Matilda Madeline Payne was born in 1879, the daughter of Mr George Payne, a businessman who was for many years well known at Mile End, Limehouse, and Forest Gate, and who lived at Wanstead by 1907. Known professionally as Madeline Payne, her career as a pianist began early. At the age of 9, she won the first two prizes at the Stratford Musical Festival, and played before Paderewski. At 12, she won a prize for scale playing, and gained an Honours Certificate (Senior Grade) of the Associated Board. In 1893, at the age of 14, she won the Erard Centenary Scholarship Competition, worth £40 p.a. for 3 years, and a gold medal, with the loan of an Erard Grand concert piano: the scholarship was extended another two years. When that expired, she won the Knill Silver Challenge Cup, tenable for one year (winners' names were engraved on the cup, but it remained at the Guildhall School of Music, each winner receiving a silver medal).
Madeline Payne received her musical education in England, studying at the Guildhall School of Music under Mr John Baptiste Calkin. Later she studied under Miss Fanny Davies, Professor Hambourg and Paderewski, the latter saying of her "Miss Madeline Payne is the most talented girl pianist I have heard". She toured England and Ireland with Madame Lilian Blauvelt in 1903, and again in 1904. Madeline Payne also appeared as a solo pianist at the Promenade Concerts, Albani, Albert Hall, Sarasate and all the principal concerts in London. Her talent and skill were strongly praised by Sir John Stainer.
Shortly before the First World War, she married Bernard Hassell, having a daughter in 1913. She died in Kent on 6 October 1962, at the age of 83.
Since the late 19th century, workplace sporting and social clubs have been popular, not least in the Guildhall and the Corporation of London. According to an annual report, for example, the Guildhall Cricket and Athletic Club "was founded in 1885 for the staff of the Corporation of London" and the sports ground was at the City of London Cemetery, Ilford.
The Corporation of the City of London has been responsible for the preservation of many open spaces in and around London since the mid-nineteenth century, largely stemming from its long and famous legal battles to prevent the enclosure of Epping Forest, which it finally acquired, and still maintains, under the authority of the Epping Forest Act 1878. By the Corporation of London (Open Spaces) Act 1878, the Corporation was authorised to acquire land within 25 miles of the City as open space for the recreation and enjoyment of the public.
The open spaces outside the City were not acquired and are not supported at the expense of the local or national taxpayer: they are currently maintained out of the Corporation's own private funds, known as the City's Cash, or money from charitable bequests. Because some of the open spaces were originally purchased with money out of the Corporation's corn duty funds, the Corporation's foremost finance committee, the Coal, Corn and Finance (later the Coal, Corn and Rates Finance) Committee, had an interest in such open spaces from the beginning until 1966. It was therefore this committee which originally managed most of the Corporation's open spaces outside the City, except for Bunhill Fields Burial Ground, which was administered by the City Lands Committee from the 17th century. West Ham Park always had, and still has, its own separate Committee of Managers. From 1 September 1966 responsibility for those open spaces was transferred to the Epping Forest Committee, which was thence renamed the Epping Forest and Open Spaces Committee. At the same time, responsibility for Bunhill Fields Burial Ground passed from the City Lands Committee to the Streets Committee, now the Planning and Transportation Committee, which administers Bunhill Fields and those open spaces which are within the City through its Trees, Gardens and Open Spaces Sub-Committee.
The open spaces outside the City of London which are owned and maintained by the Corporation of London include the following: Epping Forest (including Wanstead Park); Burnham Beeches; Kent and Surrey Commons (including Coulsdon Commons (i.e. Coulsdon and Kenley Commons, Riddlesdown and Farthingdown), Spring Park, West Wickham Common, and Ashtead Common); West Ham Park; Highgate Wood; Queen's Park, Kilburn; Hampstead Heath; Bunhill Fields Burial Ground.
Former open spaces and related areas outside the City, no longer owned or operated by the Corporation, include the following: Shiplake Island; Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey (not an open space); Richmond Park.
Allied Traders Insurance Company was founded in 1920, dealing in general insurance. They were acquired by Eagle, Star and British Dominions in 1925. Offices: 1 Gordon Place.
British Northwestern Fire Insurance Company was founded in 1906. It was formerly the Freehold Fire Insurance Company of Manitoba, Canada, 1906. The name was changed to Prince Rupert Fire Insurance Company in 1910 before becoming British Northwestern. It was acquired by Eagle, Star and British Dominions in 1920. The company became British Northwestern Insurance Company in 1952, then Eagle Star Insurance Company of Canada in 1970. Business was transferred to Eagle Star's Canadian branch and wound up in 1978.
Eagle Star was founded in 1904 by Edward Mortimer Mountain, a Lloyd's broker. It began as a marine business under the name British Dominions Marine Insurance Company. Its origins began in 1807 through its constituent companies. Within the first ten years, the company had expanded into general business, fire and motor insurance. In 1911 the name changed to British Dominions General. New departments were opened for accident and employers' liability in 1914. In 1916 the company further expanded into life business. In May 1917 the company became Eagle and British Dominions to reflect the acquisition of Eagle Insurance Company in December 1916. In December 1917, following the merger with the Star, the name changed to Eagle, Star and British Dominions. In 1937 the company name was shortened to Eagle Star.
Edward Mountain was knighted for his contribution to insurance in 1918, by which time the company had become the largest composite offices in the United Kingdom. Advertising was a key component in the success of the company, mainly through the work of A F Shepherd, Publicity Manager. All-In policy (1915) and Victory War Loan (1917) were launched with high-level publicity campaigns. Between the First and Second World Wars further schemes included free newspaper insurance, Pluvius weather underwriting business, and an department specialising in women's insurance needs. Expansion saw the development of a network of agencies and branches in United Kingdom and abroad, supported by local boards consisting of business and professional men from each region. After 1945 further extensions to the network were made alongside the establishment and acquisition of companies world-wide including specialist insurance companies such as Navigators and General, and Home and Overseas.
Sir Edward Mountain died in 1948 and business continued under the leadership of his son Sir Brian Mountain. Sir Brian's son Denis succeeded him as Chairman in 1974 until his retirement in 1985. Staff clubs included Eagle Dramatic and Operatic Society. This began with Norwood Club Dramatic and Musical Society in 1921 from staff at Eagle Star British Dominions and Cox's Bank. In 1927 the society was closed and EDOS was established. The last production was 1939.
Eagle Star's first head office was at 1 Threadneedle Street, City of London (1925). With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, administrative functions were evacuated to Cobham Park, Surrey, while other departments were housed in the Cobham area. After 1945, the head office at Threadneedle Street was rebuilt and re-opened in 1968. New administrative head office and computer centre was opened in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, as Eagle Star House. The name changed to Eagle Star Centre in 1994. The building became known as UK Life Tower in 1999 and was sold in 2003.
In 1984 Eagle Star became part of B.A.T Industries plc and saw diversification into financial services. In 1998 it became part of Zurich Financial Services Group.
English and Scottish Law Life Assurance Association Limited was founded in 1839 as English and Scottish Law Fire and Life Assurance and Loan Association, based at London and Edinburgh, Scotland. They dealt in life assurance, proprietary insurance and fire insurance until 1843. They had offices at 147 Strand, 12 Waterloo Place; and 120 Princes Street, Edinburgh, with main boards in London and Edinburgh and local boards in Scotland. The company was acquired by Eagle, Star and British Dominions in 1918.
Launderers Mutual Insurance Company Limited was founded in 1909; and acquired by Eagle, Star and British Dominions in 1919.
London Mutual Life and Guarantee Society was founded in 1849, offering life assurance, fidelity guarantee, and annuities. It was originally promoted as the Christian Union Mutual Assurance Society and Aged Ministers Fund. The company had offices at 63 Moorgate Street. It was acquired by Eagle in 1857.
Navigators and General Insurance Company Limited was founded in 1921. They offered yacht and motor boat insurance. The company had offices in Finsbury Court, Moorgate; 32 Queen Victoria Street; Oriental House, New Broad Street; 23 Leadenhall Street; and 15016 Cullum Street. It was acquired by Army, Navy and General in 1945, and then by Removers and General in 1954. The company became fully owned by Eagle Star in 1960.
National Mercantile Life Assurance Society was founded in 1837 as National Endowment and Assurance Society, offering endowment and ordinary life assurance, proprietary. It was acquired by United Mercantile and Travellers' Life Assurance Society in 1841 and the name was changed in 1843. The Society had offices at 2 King William Street; Arthur Street West, London Bridge; and 27 Poultry. It was acquired by Eagle in 1866.
Palladium Life and Fire Assurance Society was founded in 1824 offering life and fire insurance, mixed proprietary and mutual. They had offices at 10 Regent Street; 5 (later 7) Waterloo Place; and 276 Cheapside. The fire business was sold to Phoenix in 1829, and the name was changed to Palladium Life Assurance Society. The Society was acquired by Eagle Insurance in 1856.
Publishers and General Insurance Company Limited was founded in 1950; and was acquired by Eagle Star in 1965.
Premier Motor Policies Limited was founded in 1919 to provide motor insurance. It had offices at Melbourne House, Aldwych. Policies were guaranteed by Eagle, Star and British Dominions from 1922. The company was In liquidation in 1965. The name was changed to Premier Motor Insurance Company Limited.
The Aldermen were responsible for the administration of Wards, and were elected by their Ward. The position of Alderman was held for life. In the 12th and 13th centuries the Wards in the City of London are still mainly identified by the name of their Alderman although the first full list of Wards under permanent names such as Dowgate or Cornhill is dated 1285. The roots of municipal government in the City of London are thus found in the activities of the Aldermen in their Wards which in the medieval period provided such public services as existed. Working individually, or in co-operation, the power of the Aldermen grew as the corporate unity of the City of London developed and they exercised both administrative and judicial functions in what became the Court of Aldermen.
The control exercised by the Court of Aldermen over the livery companies arose as a result of the recognition in the 14th century of the right of the companies to have a share in the government of the City, and because of the civic regulation of the freedom, apprenticeship and trade. Wearing of a livery became of great importance when in 1475 attendance at Common Hall was restricted to liverymen. From 1560 onwards a company wishing to adopt a livery had to obtain the consent of the Court of Aldermen. The Livery Cloth Committee was responsible for the supply of livery cloth to officers of the Crown and the Corporation.
The Aldermen were responsible for the administration of Wards, and were elected by their Ward. The position of Alderman was held for life. In the 12th and 13th centuries the Wards in the City of London are still mainly identified by the name of their Alderman although the first full list of Wards under permanent names such as Dowgate or Cornhill is dated 1285. The roots of municipal government in the City of London are thus found in the activities of the Aldermen in their Wards which in the medieval period provided such public services as existed. Working individually, or in co-operation, the power of the Aldermen grew as the corporate unity of the City of London developed and they exercised both administrative and judicial functions in what became the Court of Aldermen.
The Committee of the Whole Court was established to confer with the Government and others regarding the reform of the Corporation.
The concept of the Court of Common Council grew from the ancient custom of the Folkmoot, when the assent of the citizens to important acts was obtained. This custom was continued by the Mayor who consulted the Commons several times during the 13th century. From 1376 the assembly began to meet regularly and was referred to as the Common Council. It was decided that the Council should be made up of persons elected from each Ward. By 1384 a permanent Common Council chosen by the citizens was established for all time. The Council assumed legislative functions and adopted financial powers, confirmed by Charters of 1377 and 1383. The Council has often used these powers to amend the civic constitution, regulate the election of Lord Mayor and other officials, and amend the functions of the City courts. The Council was judged so successful in the conduct of its duties that it was the only Corporation unreformed by Parliament following the Municipal Corporations Commission report of 1837, while the Corporation Inquiry Commission of 1854 suggested only minor reforms.
The work of the Council is conducted by a number of committees, while the whole Council has the right to approve policy, confirm major decisions and sanction expenditure. The committees handle many aspects of the running of the City including land and estates, finance and valuation, open spaces, street improvement and town planning, public health, police, Port of London, civil defence, airports, libraries, markets, education, and law. The Town Clerk has held responsibility for recording the minutes of the Council and its committees since 1274.