The Corn Exchange Benevolent Society was established in 1862 to relieve need, hardship or distress amongst those who were or had been engaged in the corn or grain trades.
The Charity was incorporated by charter dated 1 July 1678, at the instigation of a group of loyalist Anglicans who were concerned to alleviate the lot of needy dependants of Anglican clergy who had suffered for their orthodoxy during the time of the Commonwealth. The incorporation marked a stage in the consolidation of charitable efforts directed to that end, and the primary class to benefit from the activities of the Corporation were the widows of sequestered clergy. Formally named "The Charity for the Relief of poor Widows and Children of Clergymen", the Corporation gradually came to extend its benevolence more widely within that general heading as the years passed.
The popular title "Sons of the Clergy" is an indication of the large proportion of sons of clergymen who were active in the Charity, but also probably shows a sense of "pietas" felt by orthodox laity toward the faithful clergy. The phrase was inherited from the Festival of the Sons of the Clergy.
The Corporation and the Festival: The circle of Anglicans whose efforts led to the incorporation of the Charity had for many years previously been pursuing the aims formulated in the Charter of 1678 by means of the annual Festival of the Sons of the Clergy. This enabled the raising of money at a solemn service, held in a prominent church in the Capital, and a grand feast to follow, at which the liberal benefactions of the wealthy were solicited. The origins of the Festival are obscure, the first extant Sermon preached on such an occasion being dated 1655.
The Festival, with its organisers and administrators, must be regarded as the parent of the Corporation. No doubt practical experience showed the creation of a Corporation to be the best means of ensuring orderliness and continuity in the administration of such a Charity. If the annual benevolence of the Festival attracted offers of endowment by estates, which would yield a regular and permanent income, the creation of a body corporate would be the only way of avoiding the tiresome necessity of continual renewal of trustees to make up for depletions by death. It was just this legal difficulty which led eventually to the vesting in the Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy of a number of private charities with similar objects. One such was Palmer's Charity, which brought the Corporation some lands in rural Holloway; and these with the growth of London, became the Corporation's principal landed estate.
The purchase of estates was, indeed, one of the early concerns of the Charity, once incorporated, and its landed interests eventually came to extend over many parts of England and Wales.
The Festival, with its Stewards & Secretary, and the Corporation, with its Court of Assistants and Registrar, continued as separate, though closely linked, entities, and the same people were often active in both. The funds raised at the Festival were administered separately until in the 1830's they were handed over to the Corporation to administer though still as a separate fund.
The Organisation of the Corporation: The Charter of Incorporation, whose text was copied out at the beginning of more than one Court Book, lays down the organisation of the Charity which it has retained ever since, and which still continues to function. The Corporation consists of a large number of Governors who meet at a General Court held on the second Thursday in each November. The first Governors, men of substance and standing, were nominated by Charter, and all subsequent appointments were made at the General Court.
The Charter also nominated the first Court of Assistants, composed of a President, Vice-President, three Treasurers and 42 Assistants. This court is responsible for the conduct of business of the Charity, it meets at varying intervals throughout the year, and appointments to it lie with the Governors.
At the first meeting of the Court of Assistants on 15th July 1678, choice was made of a Register, later called Registrar, to be the principal permanent official of the Corporation. Unlike the abovementioned officers, the Register received payment for his services, which required legal knowledge, and approximated to the functions of a general secretary and solicitor.
Amongst other minor officials was the Messenger, who convened meetings and probably at times acted as a rent collector. There was never a large staff of permanent officials. Unlike the Messenger, the Registrar still continues to function at the head of the permanent administration.
There seems to have been a permanent accountant at least since 1726, but this official is less easy to trace in the records. Apart from the Treasurers' Accounts, the Ledger of 1771 is the first survivor of any series of financial records. Before 1726 this work seems to have been in the hands of a Committee for Methodizing the Books.
Various Committees were appointed from time to time, but in the 17th and 18th centuries they generally give an impression of informality, and were often appointed ad hoc. It was not until about 1840 that any considerable reorganisation took place within the Corporation, and at that time the three principal permanent Committees of Estates, Finance & Petitions were formed.
Crosby Hall was part of a mansion in Bishopsgate built for Sir John Crosby in 1466. It was owned by Sir Thomas More in 1532. In 1621 to 1638 it was the headquarters of the East India Company, then it became a Presbyterian Meeting House, commercial premises, the Crosby Hall Literary and Scientific Institution, and a restaurant. In 1908 it was purchased by the Charter Bank of India and was demolished to make way for their head office. The building materials were preserved and the hall was rebuilt as part of the International Hostel of the British Federation of University Women in Chelsea.
These records date to the Hall's time as a commercial premises (1770-1853).
Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).
The manor of Barnet was held by the Abbey of Saint Albans. At the Dissolution the manor came to the Crown, who granted it to John Maynard and John Goodwin. The manor subsequently passed through several hands, belonging for some time to the Dukes of Chandos. Manor courts were held on Easter Tuesday.
At the time of the Domesday book the manor of Hendon belonged to the abbey of Westminster. At the Dissolution the manor passed to the Crown, who granted it to Sir William Herbert, later Earl of Pembroke. It subsequently passed through various hands and was mortgaged several times. At the date of the document in this collection the manor was mortgaged to Guy's Hopsital, Southwark. It was later owned by actor David Garrick.
The Domesday book mentions several estates in Loughton, as many as 8. The greatest part of the parish belonged to Waltham Abbey, and its property became known as the Manor of Loughton. It held the manor until the Dissolution, when it passed to the Crown. It subsequently had various owners, including Mary Tudor, the Duchy of Lancaster and the Wroth family.
The manor later passed to the Maitland family, who were involved in the Epping Forest controversy of the 1870s. The Reverend John W. Maitland eventually gave up his rights over 650 acres of forest land in return for £30,000. The remaining manor lands and Loughton Hall were sold in 1944 to the London County Council for the creation of a housing estate.
In the Domesday book the manor of Stepney is described as part of the demense lands of the Bishop of London. In 1550 Bishop Ridley gave the manor to King Edward VI, who granted it to Lord Wentworth, and it subsequently passed to the Earls of Cleveland. The manor then passed to the Colebrooke family.
For a detailed history see 'Stepney: Manors and Estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 11: Stepney, Bethnal Green (1998), pp. 19-52.
The church was founded in c 1653 by William Kiffin at Devonshire Square, although the archives of the Devonshire Square meeting includes one volume relating to its constitutional predecessor, the Turners' Hall meeting, previously at Petty France, Artillery Lane and Walbrook, which moved to Devonshire Square in 1727 (see Ms 20228/1B); and several volumes of the meeting which, although at Devonshire Square between c 1664 and 1727, nevertheless dissolved itself in the latter year being received into the Turners' Hall meeting, when it moved to Devonshire Square. The unification was thus effected so that the Turners' Hall meeting could continue to enjoy a bequest to which it was entitled only as a distinct church. The Devonshire Square site was sold in 1870 and the meeting moved to a new chapel in Stoke Newington Road in 1871 (see Ms 20242). The Shacklewell Baptist Church, Wellington Place, Stoke Newington, founded in 1822, was united to the Devonshire Square church in 1884.
The church was established at Founders' Hall in the City of London before 1665, moving in 1764 to London Wall. In 1843 the congregation became part of the Presbyterian Church, moving again in 1856 to a new building in Canonbury. In 1935 this community merged with the Highbury Presbyterian Church. The Highbury church was destroyed by enemy action in World War Two, and in 1944 the church was dissolved.
Dr Robert Young (1777-1813) was a minister at the Scots Church, 1803-13.
The church was established at Founders' Hall in the City of London before 1665, moving in 1764 to London Wall. In 1843 the congregation became part of the newly established Presbyterian Church, moving again to a new building in Canonbury. In 1935 this community merged with the Highbury Presbyterian Church. The Highbury Church was destroyed by enemy action in World War Two, and in 1944 the church was dissolved.
The church was formed some time before 1678, merging in 1695 with the baptist church at Turners' Hall. In 1716 the congregation built a baptistory in the meeting house, with the intention that it should be used by other baptist churches in London. The church continued, with declining numbers, until 1768 when it was agreed to merge with the Glasshouse Yard Church, which would take over the lease of the building in Paul's Alley. From 1745-79 the church was also used by the "White's Alley" Baptist church.
The church met at White's Alley, 1681-1745; Paul's Alley, Barbican, 1745-79 (shared with another Baptist church); Hogg Lane (otherwise Worship Street), Shoreditch, 1779-1829; Trinity Place, Trinity Street, Blackman Street, Borough, 1829-32; Coles Street, Dover Road, 1833-40; and Stamford Street, Blackfriars Road, 1840-1.
The meeting house was erected in Lime Street in 1672 and remained on the site until 1755 when the premises were purchased, and the community compelled to leave. The congregation divided into two branches, the main group going to Miles Lane, and the other to Artillery Lane.
The church was formed in Little St Helens in c 1672 as a Presbyterian meeting house. The congregation was dissolved in 1790 after a serious decline, whereupon the building was used for a succession of independent churches. The last of these was dissolved in about 1795, and the buildings taken down in 1799. It was known successively as Three Cranes Church, Thames Street, and Mr Pike's Church (so called after Samuel Pike, pastor 1747-1765).
The church was formed in 1822 at Wellington Place in Stoke Newington and merged with Devonshire Square (Particular) Baptist Church in 1884. The building subsequently became the West Hackney Synagogue.
The Hospital was founded as an almshouse for 13 poor people in 1147 by Queen Matilda, wife of King Stephen, on land leased from the Priory of Holy Trinity Aldgate. The earliest reference to its dedication, to St Katharine of Alexandria, is in 1216. In 1254, the Priory's custody of the Hospital was challenged. The Hospital won the support of Queen Eleanor, wife of King Henry III, and in 1261 the Prior was forced to cede supervision of the Hospital to the Queen who had claimed the patronage. Thereafter, the patronage of the queen became traditional, and still continues. In 1441/2, a Royal charter granted the Hospital exemption from both the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Bishop of London and the secular jurisdiction of the City. In effect, the Hospital church became the "parish" church of the inhabitants of the Precinct and their parochial ties with St Botolph Aldgate ceased. The Hospital exercised petty criminal jurisdiction in Courts Baron and Courts Leet, more serious matters coming under the Justices of the Peace for the Ward of Portsoken; ecclesiastical matters, especially probate and marriage licensing, were dealt with by the Hospital's Commissary Court
The Hospital survived the Dissolution with its constitution unchanged. However, many archives appear to have been lost at this time. The earliest surviving document is now a Royal charter of 1292, and the administrative records only commence in the late 16th century. In 1825, the St Katharine's Dock Act allowed the destruction of the Hospital, most of the houses in the Precinct and some in the adjacent parish of St Botolph Aldgate. No provision was made for re-housing the inhabitants of the Precinct, although funds for the charity school were transferred to St Botolph's. The Hospital itself was recompensed for the loss of land and the Brothers, Sisters, Bedeswomen and a new school were accommodated on a new site in Regent's Park. The school provided charity education until 1915, but the Hospital, removed from its established sphere of influence, became a retirement residence for more affluent people.
To make its work more effective, the Hospital was refounded in 1914 by Queen Alexandra as the Royal College of St Katharine, and moved to premises in Poplar where it trained nurses and provided maternity and child health care. The chapel remained in Regent's Park. In 1948 the College was in turn reconstituted as the Royal Foundation of St Katharine and moved to buildings in Butcher Row, Ratcliff, where a new chapel was dedicated in 1952 thus once again combining worship and service to the community on one site.
Saint Mary Graces was a small Cistercian Abbey founded in 1349 by Edward III near East Smithfield, a liberty next to the Tower of London. It was also known as East Minster and New Abbey.
The City of London was divided into wards for the purpose of government as early as Norman times. The wards had responsibility to keep the peace, supervise trade and oversee sanitation, and each ward has the right to elect an Alderman and Commoners to sit in the Court of Common Council, Corporation of London. Aldersgate Ward was bounded on the east by Cripplegate Ward, on the south by Farringdon Ward Within, on the west by Farringdon Ward Without, and extending north to the former borough of Finsbury. It was divided into an Inner and Outer Ward, the southern portion within the City walls called Aldersgate Ward Within, and the northern portion outside the walls, Aldersgate Ward Without.
The school was founded in 1702 for the purpose of educating children and adults in the Ward. The school appears to have used hired premises from the date of its foundation, and the last building used was a house in Little Britain, which formed part of the estate of the parish of St Botolph Aldersgate. In 1859 the school merged with the National School, and new buildings were erected at 160-161 Aldersgate Street. In 1875 the school merged with the Farringdon Within Ward Schools.
The City of London was divided into wards for the purpose of government as early as Norman times. The wards had responsibility to keep the peace, supervise trade and oversee sanitation, and each ward has the right to elect an Alderman and Commoners to sit in the Court of Common Council. Billingsgate Ward fronts the River Thames, running west from Tower Ward to London Bridge. The ward with its quays on the water front was home to a large fish market.
Billingsgate Ward School was established by subscription in 1714 to educate and clothe boys and girls. From 1852, 32 Botolph Lane was used as the schoolhouse and when the school united with Tower Ward School in 1874, this property continued to be used. St Botolph Aldgate Parochial School amalgamated with Billingsgate Ward School and Tower Ward School in 1905 to form the Sir John Cass Junior School.
Tower Ward School was founded by voluntary subscription in 1707 for girls and in 1709 for boys. In 1808 the school bought a house in Great Tower Street; 9 Black Raven Court was purchased in 1846 for use as a school house. In 1874 the school was united with the Billingsgate Ward School and both properties were subsequently sold.
The united school merged with the combined Bridge, Candlewick and Dowgate Wards School in 1891 and this school combined with St Botolph Parochial School in 1905 to form the Sir John Cass Junior School.
The Aldgate and Allhallows Barking Exhibition Foundation was established by a Charity Commissioners' Scheme of 1894 which combined three parish charities, Hickson's, Starling's and Death's charities. The income of the Foundation was to be applied in maintaining exhibitions at secondary schools and Oxbridge. Any residual income could be used for the purposes of the Sir John Cass Technical Institute. Records pre-dating 1894 are largely of Death's Charity and include minutes and title deeds.
The school was established in October 1717 by voluntary subscription for children (boys and girls) of protestant dissenters of all denominations, in Bartholomew Court in the parish of St Bartholomew the Great. By 1834 it had moved to Jewin Street, also in the City of London.
The Weigh House Boys' Charity School was situated on City Road. The date of foundation is unknown.
Worship Street runs between City Road and Bishopsgate in the City of London. There was a Baptist Church on Worship Street which might have run this Sunday School.
The church of Saint Sepulchre, Holborn Viaduct, was first mentioned in 1137. It was damaged in the Great Fire of 1666 and was rebuilt in 1670-71. However the tower and outer wall survived and date from around 1450. The church is now the National Musicians' Church. The church is also known as Saint Sepulchre without Newgate as it stood just outside the Newgate walls. The parish was partly within the City of London and partly within the former county of Middlesex.
William Turner Alchin was born in 1790 in Billingsgate. He practised as a solicitor while also pursuing antiquarian interests. In 1845 he was appointed librarian at Guildhall Library, a post he held until his death in 1865.
The research was used for Bradford's article "St Sepulchre Holborn: Fresh facts from wills", in Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, New Series, Vol.VIII, 1940, pp.169-94. Charles Angell Bradford was a historian with several published titles including Heart Burial (1930); Blanche Parry: Queen Elizabeth's Gentlewoman (1935); Helena, Marchioness of Northampton (1936); Hugh Morgan: Queen Elizabeth's Apothecary (1939); and several contributions to journals, particuarly on the history of Saint Sepulchre, Holborn.
The church of Saint Sepulchre, Holborn Viaduct, was first mentioned in 1137. It was damaged in the Great Fire of 1666 and was rebuilt in 1670-71. However the tower and outer wall survived and date from around 1450. The church is now the National Musicians' Church. The church is also known as Saint Sepulchre without Newgate as it stood just outside the Newgate walls. The parish was partly within the City of London and partly within the former county of Middlesex.
Edward John Carlos was the author of Historical and Antiquarian Notices of Crosby Hall (1832) and Some Account of the Chapel of Our Lady, in the Priory Church of St. Mary Overy, Southwark (1832).
Thomas Crofton Croker was born in Cork in 1798. He worked as a clerk while pursuing artistic and antiquarian pursuits, at first in Ireland and then in London. He published mostly on Irish history and folklore. In 1827 he was elected a fellow of the Soceity of Antiquaries, and in 1839 helped to found the Camden Society. In 1843 he joined the committee of the British Archaeological Association. He died in 1854.
John Dunkin was born in 1782 in Bicester. He was living in London by the age of 23; and by 30 was working as a bookseller, stationer and printer, with a shop in Kent. He began to publish his own topographical studies, including The history and antiquities of Bicester, to which is added an inquiry into the history of Alchester, a city of the Dobuni (1816); The History and Antiquities of the Hundreds of Bullingdon and Ploughley (1823) and History and Antiquities of Dartford (1844). He also began research on Oxfordshire. Dunkin died in 1846.
Marcus Felix Brudenell Fitch (Marc), CBE, DLitt, Hon FBA, FSA, was born in 1908 in London. He entered the family firm of Fitch Lovell, provision merchants; an occupation which made him wealthy. This enabled him to pursue his historical research interests. In 1956 he became the chair of the British Records Society, encouraging a greater rate of publication and contributing some publications himself. Also in 1956 he founded the Marc Fitch Fund to support the publication of local history material. Throughout his life he continued to provide financial contributions to local history projects and research fellowships; as well as continuing his own research. He died in 1994.
Marchant Alexander Gliddon was resident in Hackney. William Robinson was author of The history and antiquities of the parish of Hackney (1842-43).
George Perfect Harding (1779/80-1853), was a portrait painter, copyist and antiquary. He specialised in miniature portraiture, and provided the illustrations to various antiquarian publications, such as Antiquities in Westminster Abbey: ancient oil paintings and sepulchral brasses, engraved from drawings by G. P. Harding, with an historical, biographical and heraldic description, by T. Moule (1825). In 1828 he produced an illustrated manuscript history of the Princes of Wales.
Bunhill Fields Burial Ground, situated in what is now City Road, north of the boundary between the City of London and the former County of Middlesex, was opened in 1665 and closed in 1854. It was used mainly though not exclusively for nonconformist burials. It was established by the City of London Corporation initially as a common burial ground for the interment of bodies of inhabitants who had died of the plague and could not be accommodated in the churchyards. Although enclosing walls for the burial ground were completed, the ground was, it appears, never consecrated. Instead, a Mr Tindal took over the lease and allowed burials in its unconsecrated soil, which became popular with Nonconformists. In 1769 an Act of Parliament gave the City of London Corporation the right to continue to lease the ground to their tenant as a burial ground; although in 1781 the Corporation decided to take over the management of the burial ground directly. It is the last resting place for an estimated 120,000 bodies.
It has been managed as a public open space by the City of London Corporation since 1867. Over the years Bunhill Fields burial ground has been cleared and the surviving monuments rearranged to facilitate easy maintenance. The tombs of famous people such as Daniel Defoe and John Bunyan have also been rebuilt near the gates and main pathways, to help tourists. The burial ground was also subject to bombing during the Second World War. The grounds are open to the public and managed by the Open Spaces Department, City of London Corporation.
In 2010 Bunhill Fields was designated Grade I on the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest for its outstanding historic interest as the pre-eminent graveyard for non-conformists, as a rare surviving inner city burial ground, as a large number of listed tombs noted either for the person they commemorate or their artistic quality, and also for the high quality design and materials used by the landscape architect Sir Peter Shepheard.
Early Commissioners of Sewers were solely concerned with land drainage and the prevention of flooding, not with the removal of sewage in the modern sense. In 1531 an Act of Sewers was passed which set out in great detail the duties and powers of Commissioners and governed their work until the 19th century, amended by various local acts. Gradually a permanent pattern emerged in the London area of seven commissions, five north and two south of the Thames, with, after the Great Fire, a separate commission for the City of London. The Commissioners had responsibility to undertake the construction of sewers and drains as well as the paving, cleaning and lighting of the City streets. Its powers were greatly extended by subsequent Acts of Parliament.
Under the City of London Sewers Act 1897, the Commission was dissolved with effect from January 1898 and its duties and responsibilities transferred to the Common Council of the Corporation of London and subsequently exercised by a separate Public Health Department until 1947 when the department was merged in the Town Clerk's Office.
Mansion House has been the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London since 1753. It includes the Justice Room where the Mayor held a Magistrates' Court. To this end, incorporated into the fabric of the building are 11 holding cells, including 'the birdcage' for female prisoners.
The final sitting of the Mansion House Justice Room took place on 25 July 1991. It was then amalgamated with the Guildhall Justice Room to form the City of London Magistrates' court, with new premises at 1 Queen Victoria Street, EC4, opened by the Lord Chancellor on 13 Nov 1991.
The office of Sheriff is of greater antiquity than any other in the City of London and is mentioned in Anglo Saxon laws of the seventh century. The Sheriffs, alongside Wicreves and Portreeves, exercised the King's authority over the citizens, collected royal revenue and enforced royal justice. Henry I granted the City the right to choose their own Sheriff in 1132, together with the right to choose the Sheriff of Middlesex. The two sheriffs held office jointly as the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex. The right to appoint the Middlesex sheriff was lost in 1888, although the City continued to elect two sheriffs for the City of London. At the same date the fee formerly payable to the Exchequer was redeemed by the Corporation so that all estate and interest in the office of Sheriff belonged to the Corporation and all fees from the shrievalty were received by the City. At first sheriffs were elected on St Matthew's Day (21 September) but it was advanced to 1 August in 1538 and later to Midsummer Day. The office was held for a year and no person who had served as sheriff once was eligible to serve again. In 1385 the Common Council stipulated that every Mayor must first serve as Sheriff to test his suitability for the post.
The sheriffs were expected to attend the Lord Mayor in the discharge of his official functions and to join him in works of charity and at events. They attended the Courts of Aldermen and Common Council as well as Common Hall and the Court of Husting. They were Execution Officers at the Central Criminal Court and had to be in attendance to carry out directions given by the Judges. They also had to attend the Sessions to see the Judges into Court, and be present when a capital sentence was passed. The sheriff was also required to wait upon the Sovereign and ascertain the royal will and pleasure as to the reception of addresses from the Corporation. The sheriff also presented petitions from the Corporation to the House of Commons.
The modern sheriffs are elected on Midsummer's Day (24 June) by the City livery companies. Their duties remain similar to those of their historical predecessors, including attending the Lord Mayor in carrying out his official duties, attending the sessions at the Central Criminal Court in the Old Bailey and presenting petitions from the City to Parliament at the Bar at the House of Commons.
The Dickens Fellowship was founded in 1902 and met at Memorial Hall.
The Guildhall has had a library since 1425, founded as part of a bequest by Mayor Richard Whittington. However, in 1550 the books were removed by the Duke of Somerset for his palace in the Strand and all but one of the original books is now lost. The survivor is a late 13th century Latin Bible. In 1828 a new Guildhall Library was established with the remit to collect material relating to the history and topography of the City of London, Southwark and Middlesex, including prints and drawings. This library was quite small and was rebuilt in 1873. In 1940 the library was hit by enemy action and 25,000 volumes were lost to the subsequent fire, with thousands more affected by water damage.
The collection is now of designated national and international importance and strengths include works on the history of London, English law reports, wine and food (including the Elizabeth David Collection), clocks and clockmakers (including the library of the Clockmaker's Guild), business history, marine history (material deposited by Lloyds of London), The Gardeners' Company collection (historic books on gardening), The Fletchers' Company collection (books on archery), the Gresham College collection (17th and 18th century music and early travel and exploration), the Cock Collection (material on Sir Thomas More), the Charles Lamb Society collection, the Chapman Bequest (19th century plays), the Hamilton Bequest (18th and 19th century plays), the Pepys Collection (Samuel Pepys) and a collection of 18th, 19th and 20th century books on shorthand.
The Court of Requests was constituted by an Act of Common Council of 1518, under which Commissioners were appointed to hear cases for the recovery of small debts. Its jurisdiction was confirmed by Acts of Parliament until it was transferred to the Sheriffs' Courts in 1847.
The Court of Exchequer originated after the Norman Conquest as a financial committee of the Curia Regis (the King's Court). By the reign of Henry II it had become separate, and was responsible for the collection of the king's revenue as well as for judging cases affecting the revenue. By the 13th century the court proper and the exchequer or treasury began to separate. The court's jurisdiction over common pleas now steadily increased, to include, for example, money disputes between private litigants. A second Court of Exchequer Chamber was set up in 1585 to amend errors of the Court of the King's Bench. These were amalgamated in 1830 when a single Court of Exchequer emerged as a court of appeal intermediate between the common-law courts and the House of Lords. In 1875 the Court of Exchequer became, by the Judicature Act of 1873, part of the High Court of Justice, and in 1880 was combined with the Court of Common Pleas (source of information: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2008).
The Court of Common Pleas was founded by King Henry II to hear common pleas (matters between subject and subject). It was the only Court where personal actions of account, covenant, debt and detinue could be heard. The Court also had jurisdiction to review and change the decisions of older courts. From 1187 the Court sat at Westminster. The Court was headed by a Chief Justice, working with a team of lesser justices (between three and eight in number at various times) and a large number of clerks. The Court was abolished in 1875.
William Sherington, brother of Dame Mary Luckyn, was possessed of manors and lands in Hampshire, Middlesex, Essex and Yorkshire, and of houses in Thames Street in the City of London. He died in July 1711 and was buried on 20 July at St Peter upon Cornhill, leaving £20 to the churchwardens of the parish for the benefit of the poor.
Precentorship estate records are held for the manor of Stortford Rectory (Hertfordshire); Treasurership estate records are held for the manors of Whitebarns and Albury Parsonage (Hertfordshire).
The Section has records of the following manors held by the cathedral's prebendaries:
Middlesex: Brondesbury, Brownswood, Cantlowes, Chamberlainwood, Chiswick, Eald Street, Finsbury, Hoxton, Islington, Neasden, Oxgate, Stoke Newington, Tottenhall alias Tottenham Court, Wenlocksbarn;
Essex: Reculverland, Sneating Hall, Wyland Fee.
Note that the prebendal manor of Finsbury, Middlesex, was leased to the Corporation of London during the years 1514-1867.
The Minor or Petty Canons were established as a distinct body within St Paul's Cathedral at an early date. They celebrated mass at the high altar and attended all services day and night. The Succentor was additionally responsible for examining the standard of singing of the choristers. The Sub Dean of the Cathedral was traditionally appointed from the Minor Canons. In 1366 Robert de Kyngeston, Minor Canon, left a site for the building of a hall where the brethren could live communally within the Cathedral close. By the terms of their royal charter, 1394, they became a corporate body, 12 in number, only having to eat together in the Common Hall and being allowed to live separately near the Cathedral. The charter established the Warden as the senior administrator of the College, to be elected annually on St Barnabas Day by his fellow-members.
The Minor Canons were financially independent of the canons they represented. Originally their income consisted of a weekly prebend, food allowances and a share of payments from obits. Gradually each of the twelve stalls acquired its own benefice for the maintenance of the stall-holder who would also frequently hold a further living in London or elsewhere. Additional revenues, such as the tithes of the parish of St Gregory by St Paul and, later, fees for showing the cupola to visitors, were collected as income in common. After the Great Fire, 1665, the Common Hall was let and houses on the south side of St Paul's Churchyard, known as College Houses, were built for occupation by the Minor Canons.
The organisation of the Minor Canons survived the Reformation unchanged, apart from a considerable loss of income from obits, but the St Paul's Cathedral, London, Minor Canonries Act of 1875 brought about major financial restructuring. All benefices were taken into the control of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, fixed annual payments in lieu being made to the College, and the number of Minor Canons was reduced to 6. In addition, the Dean and Chapter were to provide houses for the Minor Canons; these were built in Amen Court in the 1880s.
The precise origin and extent of the jurisdiction of the Bishops of London over Anglican communities overseas remains a matter of debate and is discussed in 'A Case Without Parallel: The Bishops of London and the Anglican Church Overseas 1660-1740', by Geoffrey Yeo in Journal of Ecclesiastical History, vol.44, 1993" available in the Printed Books Section of Guildhall Library.
No provision for episcopal oversight of the English abroad had been made at the time of the Reformation but an order in council of 1st October 1633 required the Merchant Adventurers to be under the jurisdiction "of the lord bishop of London as their diocesan". After the Restoration it was assumed that the Anglican clergy overseas were in some way reponsible to the Bishop of London, although the precise authority remained undetermined. Successive bishops exercised their authority to differing degrees.
In the early nineteenth century Michael Luscombe, chaplain in Caen, became concerned about the lack of episcopal supervision. In 1825 he was consecrated by Scottish bishops, with the tacit consent of the Archbishop of Canterbury and Bishop of London, not as a diocesan bishop but to meet a pastoral need. He took up residence in Paris, was appointed embassy chaplain in 1828 and erected a church in Rue D'Aguesseau in 1834. After his death in 1846 the experiment was not repeated as few chaplains had accepted his offer to confirm or his licence.
In 1840-41 Charles Blomfield, Bishop of London, raised the question of the establishment of a new diocese in the Mediterranean. The need for effective episcopal supervision, ministry for congregations and clergy in south east Europe and the desire to promote relations with the Orthodox churches led to the establishment of the Diocese of Gibraltar in 1842 to cover the southern part of Europe bordering on the Mediterranean with the Bishop of London retaining jurisdiction over the rest of Europe. The Bishop of London retained some links with southern Europe, as a trustee of some chaplaincy buildings, and a number of chaplaincies apparently continued to send register transcripts to the London Diocesan Registry even after 1842.
In 1884 the Bishop of London gave his permanent commisson to Bishop Titcomb to serve in north and central Europe with financial responsibility being borne by the Colonial and Continental Church Society. The Bishop of London continued to appoint in this way until Bishop Batty was appointed suffragan bishop with the title of Bishop of Fulham in 1926.
The 1968 Lambeth Conference called for consideration to be given to parallel jurisdictions, especially in Europe, and in October 1970 the office of the Bishop of Gibraltar was combined with that of the Bishop of Fulham with the appointment of John Satterthwaite. From 1970 to 1980 the jurisdictions of Gibraltar and North & Central Europe remained separate, although administered by the same bishop of "Fulham and Gibraltar". In 1980 the Bishop of London divested himself of all his jurisdiction overseas (see DL/E/A/004/MS20876) and a new Diocese of Gibraltar in Europe, known as the Diocese in Europe, was established to supersede both former jurisdictions.
The Bishop of London was held to exercise responsibility for Anglican churches overseas where no other bishop had been appointed. He retained responsibility for churches in northern and central Europe until 1980, but his jurisdiction in southern Europe ceased in 1842 on the creation of the diocese of Gibraltar. In 1980, the Bishop of London divested himself of all overseas jurisdiction and a new diocese of 'Gibraltar in Europe' was established.
Before the Russian Revolution of 1917 the Anglican chaplain at St Petersburg made occasional visits to Helsinki to minister to the English residents there. After the revolution, the chaplain at Moscow moved to Helsinki, where he was appointed to serve the British Legation. In 1921 the Legation ceased to employ the chaplain, and he was subsequently supported by voluntary contributions from the English residents. At various times the chaplain at Helsinki has assumed additional responsibility for Anglicans in Russia, Estonia, Mongolia and China.
The Bishop of London was held to exercise responsibility for Anglican churches overseas where no other bishop had been appointed. He retained responsibility for churches in northern and central Europe until 1980, but his jurisdiction in southern Europe ceased in 1842 on the creation of the diocese of Gibraltar. In 1980, the Bishop of London divested himself of all overseas jurisdiction and a new diocese of 'Gibraltar in Europe' was established.
A chaplaincy in Riga was first established in the early nineteenth century to serve the many British sailors passing through the port. The church of Saint Saviour was constructed in 1859. Services were suspended in 1940 but resumed in 1991.
The Bishop of London was held to exercise responsibility for Anglican churches overseas where no other bishop had been appointed. He retained responsibility for churches in northern and central Europe until 1980, but his jurisdiction in southern Europe ceased in 1842 on the creation of the diocese of Gibraltar. In 1980, the Bishop of London divested himself of all overseas jurisdiction and a new diocese of 'Gibraltar in Europe' was established.
An Anglican burial ground was constructed in Naples in 1827, and consecrated in 1844. The chaplaincy began in 1831 as a Legation Chaplaincy within the Palazzo Sasso, the residence of the British Minister to the Court of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. In 1834 permission was granted to build a church, but the works were stopped. Instead services were held in a room in the British consulate.
In 1861 the British Consul headed a deputation to obtain the fulfilment of a promise made by General Garibaldi to give them a piece of free ground adjacent to the barracks of S. Teresella a Chiata for the purpose of building an Anglican Church. The land was granted in 1862, and the foundation stone of the church was laid the same year. It was consecrated in 1865.
The Bishop of London was held to exercise responsibility for Anglican churches overseas where no other bishop had been appointed. He retained responsibility for churches in northern and central Europe until 1980, but his jurisdiction in southern Europe ceased in 1842 on the creation of the diocese of Gibraltar. In 1980, the Bishop of London divested himself of all overseas jurisdiction and a new diocese of 'Gibraltar in Europe' was established.
Trieste was the main sea-port of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and had a large English speaking community who worshipped at Christ Church. It is now served by the chaplain of Saint George's Anglican Church, Venice.