The church of Saint Michael and Saint George was built in 1913 to designs by J.S. Adkins. The parish was assigned in 1914, taken from the parish of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Broad Street.
St Paul's church in Grove Park was built in 1872, largely thanks to the benefaction of William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire. It was designed by Henry Currey, the Duke's appointed architect. It has been used for Christian worship ever since.
The church of Saint Benet (short for Saint Benedict) Fink in Tottenham was built in 1911 and consecrated in May 1912 by the Bishop of London. It was designed by J.S. Alder in a style reminiscent of Gothic cathedral architecture. The building is currently Grade II listed.
However, the history of St Benet Fink Tottenham goes back much further, as the church is essentially a continuation of St Benet Fink in the City of London (see P69/BEN1). The original St Benet was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, rebuilt, and eventually demolished by the City of London Corporation in 1846 in order to improve the site around the Royal Exchange. The parish of St Benet Fink was combined with that of St Peter le Poer, and the proceeds of the sale of the site were used to build St Benet Fink Tottenham. After the church of St Peter le Poer was also eventually demolished, St Benet Fink Tottenham received its organ, which is now one of the most important features of the church.
The Diocese of Southwark was formed in 1905 and lies in the Church of England Province of Canterbury. The Diocese has jurisdiction over 317 square miles of London south of the River Thames, formerly in the ancient counties of Kent and Surrey, areas which had been in the Diocese of Rochester and vast Diocese of Winchester.
In 2003 the Diocese was serving a population of 2,358,000 in 302 parishes. It includes:
- parishes in the ancient county of Surrey, forming the Parliamentary Divisions of east and mid Surrey, which had been transferred from the Archdeaconry of Surrey in the Diocese of Winchester, to the Diocese of Rochester in 1878;
- parishes in the ancient county of Kent which had been transferred to the Diocese of London in 1846 and returned back to the Diocese of Rochester in 1867, namely Charlton, Lee, Lewisham, Greenwich, Woolwich, Eltham, Plumstead and Deptford;
-
parishes in the former Deanery of Croydon which were peculiars of the Archbishop of Canterbury, namely Barnes, Bunstow, Charlwood, Cheam, East Horsley, Merstham, Mortlake, Newington, Putney and Wimbledon. The peculiars were parishes or places which were formerly exempt from the jurisdiction of the bishop in whose diocese they were physically located, and were answerable directly to the Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1846, Newington, Barnes, Putney, Mortlake and Wimbledon had ceased to be peculiars and became part of the Diocese of London, and in the same year the remaining peculiars of Addington and Croydon were transferred permanently to the Diocese of Canterbury.
In 1927, the Diocese of Guildford was formed from parishes in the ancient county of Surrey remaining in the Archdeaconry of Surrey in the Diocese of Winchester and a few Hampshire parishes. In the late nineteenth century, the cathedral church at Winchester could not respond to the needs of the rapidly increasing populations in South London experiencing poor living and working conditions. Although the area had been transferred to the Diocese of Rochester in 1878, Anthony Thorold, Bishop of Rochester was determined that the religious life of South London would have its own firm identity. As a result, a Suffragan Bishop of Southwark was appointed in 1891 and the ancient parish church of Saint Saviours, Southwark was restored to become the pro-Cathedral in 1897. In 1904 an Act of Parliament created the new Diocese of Southwark and in 1905 the church became Southwark Cathedral (also known as the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Saviour and Saint Mary Overie).
Edward Stuart Talbot, the 100th Bishop of Rochester, was enthroned as the first Bishop of Southwark. The bishop was faced with the challenge of building up the Church over the South London with a population of nearly two million inhabitants and great social disparities from the prosperous villages of Reigate or Kew and Edwardian suburbs to the appallingly overcrowded tenements of inner London.
In 2003 the mission of the Diocese was:
- to 'pray for the renewing power and love of the Holy Spirit in our worship, work and witness';
- to 'seek the rule of God in our lives, our church, our communities, the life of the earth and the whole of creation';
- to 'Share the Faith - proclaiming the Good News, teaching and nurturing new believers, making disciples and equipping them for service';
- to 'Search for Truth - open to God's Word, exploring God's activity in different contexts and cultures';
- to 'Serve our Neighbour - responding to human need by loving service and by confronting the unjust structures of society';
-
and to Follow Jesus - in his suffering love for the salvation of all people.
In 2003, the Diocese of Southwark was divided into three Episcopal Areas each with a Suffragan Bishop and two Archdeacons:
- Croydon Episcopal Area: Bishop of Croydon, Archdeacon of Croydon, Archdeacon of Reigate.
- Kingston Episcopal Area: Bishop of Kingston, Archdeacon of Lambeth, Archdeacon of Wandsworth
-
Woolwich Episcopal Area: Bishop of Woolwich, Archdeacon of Lewisham, Archdeacon of Southwark.
The Diocese of Southwark was twinned with three Anglican Dioceses in Zimbabwe (2003).
Bishops of Southwark (1905-2003): 1905 Edward Stuart Talbot 1911 Hubert Murray Burge 1919 Cyril Foster Garbett 1932 Richard Godfrey Parsons 1942 Bertram Fitzgerald Simpson 1959 Arthur Mervyn Stockwood 1980 Ronald Oliver Bowlby 1991 Robert Kerr Williamson 1998 Thomas Frederick Butler.
The diocese of Winchester has existed since the seventh century, when the episcopal seat was transferred to Winchester in 676 from the West Saxon bishopric of Dorchester-on-Thames. During this period it covered the entire West Saxon area but was reduced in size, first in the eighth century, when Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall were taken to form the diocese of Sherborne, and then again in the tenth century, when the diocese of Ramsbury, later Salisbury, was formed from Wiltshire and Berkshire.
By the tenth century the diocese of Winchester consisted of the counties of Hampshire (including the Isle of Wight) and Surrey. These boundaries remained virtually unchanged until 1877 when the area of south London administered by the diocese of Winchester, now covered by the diocese of Southwark, was added to the diocese of Rochester. The diocese of Southwark was formed in 1905. The greatest change came in 1927 when the new dioceses of Guildford, covering Surrey and some parishes in north east Hampshire, and Portsmouth, taking in south east Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were formed. The present day diocese of Winchester covers parishes in central and west Hampshire. It also includes the Channel Islands which were added to the diocese in 1568.
Up until 1927, the diocese has two archdeaconries, the archdeaconry of Surrey which included most of Surrey and the archdeaconry of Winchester which included Hampshire (and had included the Isle of Wight until 1871 when the archdeaconry of the Isle of Wight was constituted).
G Bedford is a party mentioned in the marriage settlement of 1843.
William Bagshaw was a gentleman and accountant of Coleman Street.
John Bacon (1740-1799) was born in Southwark and apprenticed to a porcelain factory. His skill as a designer and sculptor was recognised and he was encouraged to exhibit with the Society of Arts, and attended the Royal Academy Schools. From designing porcelain for factories including Wedgwood, he became a highly sought after sculptor of monuments and public statues. His work included the monument to Thomas Guy at Guy's Hospital chapel, the monument to William Pitt the Elder at Westminster Abbey, the bust of Dr Johnson in St Paul's Cathedral, and colossal figures at Somerset House. He established a successful studio workshop which produced funerary monuments, garden sculpture and portrait busts for private clients.
Bacon's sons John the younger (1777-1859) and Thomas (b 1773) were apprenticed at their father's studio and then attended the Royal Academy Schools. On Bacon's death John the younger took over the studio, completing his father's commissions and proving just as successful at attracting new civic and imperial commissions. Thomas is recorded as assisting him, but disappears from the documents after 1800. From 1808 John Bacon retired from carrying out public works to focus on architectural and church sculpture. He formed a partnership with Charles Manning (1776-1812) and then his brother Samuel Manning (1788-1842), allowing them to carry on the work of the studio and use the Bacon name.
John Bacon died in 1859. His sons, John and Thomas, were both clergymen who are recorded as trustees of their father's estate (see E/BN/007, 009-010).
Information from Mary Ann Steggles, 'Bacon, John (1740-1799)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 and Jason Edwards, 'Bacon, John (1777-1859)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.
Bovril Limited are now owned by Unilever. The following history is from the Unilever website (accessed Oct 2009): "Way back in 1871, Napoleon ordered a million cans of beef for his hungry army. A Scot, John Lawson Johnston, rose to the challenge with his invention "Johnston's Fluid Beef". This was renamed Bovril back in 1886, and so the beefy drink we know and love was born. 16 years later, on Christmas Day of 1902, and far, far away near the South Pole, Captain Scott and Ernest Shackleton supped on a cup of Bovril after a chilling 4-hour march. By 1909, it wasn't just explorers and soldiers that took strength from Bovril; hundreds and thousands of football supporters up and down the country were gulping down steaming hot cups of Bovril. In fact, by this time, Bovril was so popular with Brits that an electric advertising sign was erected in London's Piccadilly Circus. By 1968, the Bovril empire owned Argentinean beef ranches that totalled the equivalent to half the size of England. Production was also moved from London to its current home in Burton on Trent." (http://www.ubfoods.co.uk/brands/foodbrands/bovril.aspx).
The land comprising Camden Estate is situated to the east of the High Road in what is now known as Camden Town. The western boundary being the High Road from Crowndale Road in the south, continuing northwards up Kentish Town Road as far as Bartholomew Road in the north. The northern boundary continued across until it met Brecknock Road just north of Camden Road. The western limits being York Way as far as Agar Grove, eastwards across Agar Grove to St Pancras Way rejoining Crowndale Road in the South. The land was originally part of the manor of Cantelowes, which was in the possession of the Canons of St Paul as prebendaries. In 1649 the Commonwealth sold the land and Manor house. However, by 1660, during the Restoration the rights of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's were reinstated together with the original lessees or their representatives.
In 1670 the lease was purchased by John Jeffreys and passed, by the marriage of his granddaughter, Elizabeth, to Charles Pratt, who was born in 1713 and created Baron Camden in July 1765 and Viscount Bayham and Earl Camden in May 1786.
Initially, very little stood on the land other than the 'halfway house,' the Mother Red Cap, and the Manor house. Shortly before his death in October 1794 Earl Camden started to develop the land. Building leases were granted in 1790 for the land in the south of the estate, abutting west onto High Street Camden Town. The building was continued by his son John Jeffreys (Pratt) 2nd Earl of Camden, who was created Marquess of Camden and Earl Brecknock in September 1812. By his death 1840 urbanisation was complete. Earl Camden laid out his buildings along the eastern side of the High Street. They contrasted greatly with those on the western side on Lord Southampton's estate. They were more generous in their proportions. Many of the streets and roads on the remainder of the estate took names which reflected the personal and family connections of the Earl, including Pratt Street, Brecknock Road, Bayham Street and Georgiana and Caroline Street (two of his daughters). His son married Harriet Murray (Murray Street), daughter of the Bishop of Rochester (Rochester Square) and his builder was Augustine Greenland (St Austine's Road and Greenland Street).
William Cotton, a former Governor of the Bank of England, owned a large amount of property in East London, mainly in Limehouse and Mile End. On his death his will (dated 6 Jul 1865) passed the estate to his executors and trustees (of whom his son was one) on condition it was to be further developed and held on trust for members of his family.
In June 1901 the estate was turned into a private company, known as the Bow Common Estate Company, limited by shares. The company remained a family concern however, and all of the shareholders were descendants of William Cotton. From 1921 the estate was sold, and the proceeds invested in trustee securities. These were realised in January 1926 and the Company liquidated, the proceeds of the realisation being distributed amongst the shareholders on a pro rata basis.
Samuel Crawley and John Sambrook Crawley are mentioned in these documents as 'of Beds'. The Crawley family were notable landowners in Bedfordshire, owning several manors there since 1519. A John Crawley was married to Susannah Vanacker Sambrooke of St. George Hanover Square, daughter of Sir Samuel Vanacker Sambrooke, and several pieces of property seem to have passed into the Crawley family through this connection.
The property in Fulham was owned by Sir Brooke Bridges. It came into the Fielding family via his widow Dame Elizabeth Bridges, who married the Honorable Charles Fielding of Goodnestone, Kent.
Robert Gunter, of Earl's Court Lodge, Kensington, was a Captain in the 4th Dragoon Guards.
The title Viscount Gort in the peerage of Ireland was created in 1816 for John Prendergast-Smyth, Baron Kiltarton. Gort is a town in County Galway. The 2nd Viscount Gort was Prendergast-Smyth's nephew Charles Vereker (1768-1842). On Charles' death in 1842 his son John Prendergast Vereker (1790-1865) became the 3rd Viscount. Apart from the Irish property most of the property featured in this collection came to the Gort family through Elizabeth Mary, the 3rd Viscount's wife, as daughter of John Jones and as widow of George Tudor.
Lloyd Kenyon was born in 1732. He entered Middle Temple in 1750 and was called to the bar in February 1756. He worked in the courts of equity and common law, and became a highly respected and well known legal figure, rising to the rank of judge. In 1788 he was made lord chief justice. He was married to his cousin, Mary Kenyon. He died in 1802.
For a more detailed history see Douglas Hay, 'Kenyon, Lloyd, first Baron Kenyon (1732-1802)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Oct 2009.
Two members of the Maxse family are mentioned in these papers. James Maxse (1792-1864) was a wealthy landowner and keen huntsman. His second son Frederick Augustus Maxse (1833-1900) entered the Navy and became a lieutenant in 1852. He served in the Crimean war and was promoted to Rear-Admiral by 1875. He was known as a radical and free-thinker, a vegetarian and tee-totaller, who advocated free secular education and electoral reform. He travelled frequently and was restless, buying and building several houses. His elder son Sir Frederick Ivor Maxse (1862-1958) had a distinguished career in the military, while his younger son Leopold James Maxse (1864-1932) was editor of the National Review.
Source of information: Roger T. Stearn, 'Maxse, Frederick Augustus (1833-1900)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2006.
The Bonney and Nevinson families were linked by marriage.
These records relate to two separate Manors, those of Clerkenwell and Canonbury which came into the Northampton family through the marriage in 1594 of William Compton, first earl of Northampton, to Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Sir John Spencer, Alderman of London.
Clerkenwell: It is important to note that the Manor of Clerkenwell relates to land which is not in the parish of Clerkenwell. Instead it consisted of 110 acres of land in Holloway, in the parish of St Mary, Islington. It is often known as the Manor of St Mary, Clerkenwell since it was previously in the possession of the Nunnery of St Mary at Clerkenwell. Pinks states that the Manor has been in the Compton family since the Dissolution.
The location of the manorial land is on the West side of Holloway Road at Upper Holloway from the Church of St John the Evangelist, Pemberton Gardens northwards to the Whittington Stone to Gordon Place extending across Maiden Lane, bounded by Barnsbury Manor in the South; the last field in Maiden Lane to the North (a detached part of Barnsbury Manor); by the Manors of St John of Jerusalem and Barnsbury on the West and by Highgate and the Old Great North Road on the East. Courts were occasionally held at the London Spa.
Most of the parish of Clerkenwell was included in the separate Manor of St John of Jerusalem, Clerkenwell.
Canonbury: The Manor of Canonbury was known alternatively as the Manor of Canbury. It was triangular in shape, bounded on the West by Upper Street, on the East by Lower Street (now Essex Road) and on the North by Hopping Lane (now St Paul's Road) and Balls Pond Road. Its chequered history is a diary of patronage in the sixteenth century: originally it had been presented by Ralph de Berners to the Prior and Convent of St Bartholomew, Smithfield in the thirteenth century but after the Dissolution of the Monasteries it was enjoyed briefly and in turn by Thomas Cromwell, Anne of Cleves and John Dudley later the Duke of Northumberland. The Manor was granted in 1557 to Thomas Wentworth, who then sold it to Sir John Spencer in 1570.
Oppenheimer, Nathan and Vandyk were run by Herbert Oppenheimer, Major Harry Louis Nathan and Arthur Vandyk. They were based at 1 Finsbury Square, EC2.
Mercers were dealers in textiles, exporting wool and importing silks, linen and velvet. The Company received its royal charter in 1394. The Company has connections with many schools and makes grants to various educational bodies. The Company Hall is in Ironmonger Lane, built in 1694.
The manor of Stepney, also known as Stebunheath, was recorded in the Domesday Book as owned by the Bishop of London, and was probably part of the lands included in the foundation grant of the see of London circa 604. At this date the manor included Stepney, Hackney, and parts of Shoreditch, Islington, Hornsey and Clerkenwell; although parcels of land were later granted to other institutions and people, such as lands in Clerkenwell given to the priory of St Mary, Clerkenwell, and the Knights Hospitallers.
In 1550 the manors of Stepney and Hackney were surrendered to the King, who granted them to Lord Chamberlain Sir Thomas Wentworth. The manor stayed in the Wentworth family until Thomas, Lord Wentworth, the earl of Cleveland. He incurred large debts and was forced to mortgage the manors. The family eventually lost Hackney manor but retained Stepney until 1695 when it was sold to William Herbert, Lord Montgomery. In 1710 he sold it to Windsor Sandys. By 1754 it belonged to the Colebrooke family who held it until 1939. In 1926 all remaining copyholds were converted into freeholds.
The manor house at Stepney was used as a residence of the bishops of London and the Stepney meadows provided hay for his household's horses. The house later became known as Bishopswood or Bishops Hall, and later Bonner Hall.
Information from: 'Stepney: Manors and Estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 11: Stepney, Bethnal Green (1998), pp. 19-52 (available online).
William Pym, a gentleman resident in Clerkenwell and Holborn, is frequently mentioned in these documents.
George Boone Roupell of Great Ormond Street was a Master in Chancery.
The Manor of Denham in Buckinghamshire was purchased by Sir Roger Hill in 1670. It was inherited by his daughter Hester, widow of Henry Probert. When she died in 1742 the manor passed to her younger sister Abigail, widow of Edward Lockey. When Abigail died in 1757 her only child, a daughter, was already dead, so the daughter's husband Lewis Way inherited the manor. The manor subsequently remained in the Way family. They lived at Denham Place.
Information from: 'Parishes: Denham', A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 3 (1925), pp. 255-261 (available online).
Messrs J. and J. Arnold were druggists [dispensers of medicinal drugs] based at No. 59, Barbican, London.
A footpad was a highwayman who robbed on foot.
James Beal was born in 1829. He was active in social and political reform from the 1850s and became a well-known figure in London radical and municipal reform circles. He frequently appears in The Times, mainly in his role as honorary secretary of the Metropolitan Municipal Association for promoting the better local government of the metropolis. He described himself as "the only man who can claim to be the author of the proposal to establish one representative municipality for all London" (The Times, 1 April 1889). In 1888 Beal was elected to the London County Council for Fulham. He was a prominent member of the Vestry of St James's Westminster.
Beal was also involved in other causes, including the reform of gas and water supply, emancipation and anti-slavery movements, women's education and rights, Jewish rights, industrial relations and reform of City livery companies. He died in 1891 aged 62.
For his obituary see The Times, Friday, Jun 12, 1891; pg. 9; Issue 33349; col F.
The Calvert family had branches in Yorkshire, Kent and London (Fleet Street and Newington). Members of the family were barristers and churchmen.
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.
From 1837 to 1845 Fulham parish was one of the parishes controlled by Kensington Poor Law Union. In 1845 it united with the parish of Hammersmith as Fulham Poor Law Union. However, in 1899 the Fulham Poor Law Union was dissolved and the Board of Guardians for the separate Parish of Fulham was constituted. The Fulham Palace Road Workhouse was constructed in 1848. In 1884 an infirmary was added to the north of the site, facing Saint Dunstan's Road.
In 1908 the Union took over management of school buildings in Sutton, renaming them the Belmont Workhouse. In the 1920s this institution began a scheme training inmates in key skills to improve their chances of gaining employment. When the London County Council took over the building it continued this work, renaming the institution the Sutton Training Centre.
Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.
The Royal Free Hospital began life as a small dispensary in Holborn. It was founded by William Marsden in 1828, to provide free medical care to those who could not afford it (at that time, people seeking hospital treatment had to pay a fee, or provide a letter of recommendation.) Thus, it was the first free hospital in London. The title 'Royal' was granted by Queen Victoria in 1837, in recognition of the hospital's work during the 19th century cholera epidemics, when it was the only London hospital to accept cases.
Demand for free hospital treatment was high, so in 1844 the Royal Free moved to larger premises, a former army barracks in Gray's Inn Road, where it stayed until the early 1970s. In 1877, the Royal Free became a teaching hospital and made history by becoming the first hospital in Britain to accept women as medical students. This began a close association with the London School of Medicine for Women, later renamed the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine. The Royal Free School of Nursing was started in 1889, and in 1895 the Royal Free became the first hospital to appoint an almoner, forerunner of the modern social worker. After the Second World War, The Royal Free continued to innovate, leading the way in treatments for kidney and liver diseases, haemophilia and cancer.
On the inception of the National Health Service in 1948, the Royal Free joined with several smaller hospitals including the Children's Hospital Hampstead, the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital, the North-Western Hospital, Hampstead General Hospital and the London Fever Hospital to form the Royal Free Group. In 1968, Coppett's Wood and New End Hospital joined the Royal Free Group and, in 1972, Queen Mary's House.
Survival of records from the Gray's Inn Road era is generally very good. Extensive series of minutes, annual reports and photographs give insight into the management and day-to-day administration of the Royal Free, the difficulties funding a voluntary hospital, and the development of the NHS. The collection also includes some of the earliest surviving patient case notes from a British hospital (1899-1920). These give detailed personal and clinical histories of patients, which provide a unique insight into the personal, social and medical conditions of the population of London's Kings Cross slums. They include case notes by some of the first women surgeons and physicians.
The Royal Free moved to its present site in Pond Street, Hampstead, in the mid 1970s. The new hospital brought together the old Royal Free Hospital in Gray's Inn Road with Lawn Road Hospital (formerly the North-Western Fever Hospital), New End Hospital and Hampstead General Hospital. As a result of NHS reorganization, the Royal Free came under the control of Camden and Islington Area Health Authority between 1974 and 1982 and the Hampstead Health Authority between 1982 and 1991. Records from this period of the Royal Free's history are patchy. Major series of minutes have survived, but few other records have been transferred.
In April 1991 the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust became one of the first trusts established under the provisions of the NHS and Community Care Act 1990. The Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital joined the trust in 1996. On 1 April 2012, the trust was authorised as a foundation trust, under the name Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust.
The Children's Hospital Hampstead was founded in 1875 as a voluntary institution, situated in Maida Vale, and was originally called the Hospital and Home for Incurable Children. It took sick children up to the age of 16, whereafter they were returned to family and friends. It moved to College Crescent, Hampstead in 1904, and in 1919 changed its name to Northcourt Hospital and Home for sick children, in view of the fact that many diseases which a few years earlier would have rendered their sufferers incurable could be treated. In 1928 it was renamed the Hampstead Hospital for Children, and finally, in 1929, the name became the Children's Hospital Hampstead, to avoid confusion with Hampstead General Hospital.
At the outbreak of World War Two the hospital was requisitioned by the War Office. Throughout the war years various plans were proposed for its future use, including a merger with the Hampstead General, but these never materialised. The hospital joined the Royal Free Group when the NHS came into being in 1948, and the building was used firstly as the School of Nursing Preliminary Training School (PTS) and then as a nurses' home from then until its sale in 1990.
The Central London Throat Nose and Ear Hospital was founded in 1874 by Lennox Browne (who had previously served as assistant to Dr Morell Mackenzie at the Hospital for Diseases of the Throat in Golden Square), Llewellyn Thomas (a physician who had worked with Lennox Browne at Golden Square), Captain Alfred Hutton (a friend of Lennox Browne), George Wallis (a dentist), and Ernest Turner (architect of the hospital).
The hospital initially opened as a dispensary in Manchester Street (now Argyle Street), but demand for its services was such that in 1875 it moved across the road to its current location on Gray's Inn Road. The very poor were treated free of charge; however, other patients were expected to contribute towards the cost of their treatment. The hospital was also financed by subscriptions, grants from the King's Fund, and fundraising events supported by the actors and singers who benefited from the expertise of its staff.
The Central London Throat Nose and Ear Hospital published its first Annual Report in 1876, in order to publicise its work and encourage new subscribers. The report included a report of the ceremony to lay the foundation stone of the hospital (reprinted from The Times 17th September 1875) and an article describing the work of the hospital which had appeared in All The Year Round (25th July 1874).
By 1885, it was clear that the hospital needed to expand its premises, and in 1893 the Committee were able to purchase some adjoining land. Building work began in 1895. In 1904, the King's Fund put forward a proposal to merge the five ENT hospitals in London: the Central London Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in Gray's Inn Road, the Hospital for Diseases of the Throat in Golden Square, the Royal Ear Hospital in Huntley Street, the London Throat Hospital in Portland Street, and the Metropolitan Ear Nose and Throat Hospital in Fitzroy Square. The Central London Hospital did not support the proposal, partly because it would have resulted in the sacking of Richard Kershaw, and in 1905 its grant from the King's Fund was removed. Negotiations were opened with the Royal Ear Hospital and the London Throat Hospital, but by 1913 these had broken down, and the latter had agreed to merge instead with the Golden Square Hospital. Further plans for expansion had been drawn up in 1902, and the Central London Hospital decided to proceed in the hope that the increased numbers of patients which would result from larger premises would secure the future of the Gray's Inn Road site.
Despite losing many of its staff to active service during the First World War, the Central London managed to continue its work. In 1916 a 20 bed annexe was opened to treat soldiers suffering the effects of shellshock and deafness caused by explosions. At the end of the war the annexe remained, increasing the number of in-patient beds to 43. The hospital expanded further in 1929, when the new Princess Louise wing opened, containing an out-patients department, operating theatre, dispensary, pathology laboratory and rooms for the students. The hospital had been hiring St Jude's church hall for over 20 years, and when the church closed in 1935, the Central London Hospital put forward a proposal to acquire the site. Nos. 57-67 Wicklow Street had been purchased for the Central London Hospital in 1903, with a view to providing accommodation or nurses. A house in Coram Street was also purchased for this purpose after the First World War, and furnished with the assistance of the Ladies' Association (the Association's President Lady Riddell provided a piano).
The General Nursing Council was established in 1919, and soon afterwards it recognised the Central London Hospital as a Preliminary Training School for nurses. Probationers spent 2 years at the hospital, before moving down the road to the Royal Free to complete their training. The School of Nursing was established in 1930, and offered 12 month courses and 6 month courses (to train as an SRN and SEN respectively).
Referring doctors had always been encouraged to attend the hospital, and observe the operations performed on their patients, and it was perhaps inevitable that this tradition should develop into more formal postgraduate teaching. From 1885 Lennox Browne and his Dundas Grant were giving lectures on otology, rhinology and laryngology to doctors and medical students (many of whom offered their services to the hospital in return for practical instruction). By the mid-1890s, a more systematic syllabus of lectures had been arranged, with Dr Wyatt Wingrave (formerly the hospital's pathologist) providing teaching in anatomy, physiology and pathology. Although Dundas Grant retired in 1913, the Central London continued to provide teaching throughout the First World War, and found space for a lecture theatre and classrooms. When the Royal College of Surgeons instituted a Diploma in Laryngology and Otology in 1919, the Central London Hospital was the only institution to provide the specialist practical instruction necessary to qualify for it, drawing students from Guys Hospital and elsewhere.
The hospital benefited from the long service of several men: Lennox Browne who worked as surgeon to the hospital until 1900 (and consulting surgeon until his death in 1902), Alfred Hutton, who served as Chairman of the Committee 1874-1905 and Treasurer 1874-1904, and Richard Kershaw, who served as Secretary 1877-1927 (and also Dispenser/Almoner for several years).
From its early days, the Central London Throat Nose and Ear Hospital also had a Royal Patron, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught. His sister Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll also showed great interest in the hospital, and became President in 1909. In 1928, she laid the foundation stone of the new wing to be named in her honour. She also opened a convalescent home at Ealing (in a house left to the hospital by its Vice President, Col. Sir John Young) in 1933, and laid the foundation stone for the new nurses' home in Swinton Street in 1939.
In 1939, the decision was taken to amalgamate with Golden Square, with the approval of the King's Fund. The outbreak of war delayed the merger in practical terms, but a joint Committee of Management was formed immediately. The Gray's Inn Road site was fortunate not to be damaged during the war, and provided a temporary home for the Hospital for Nervous Diseases, whose premises had been badly damaged.
Colney Hatch Asylum opened at Friern Barnet in July 1851 as the second pauper lunatic asylum for the County of Middlesex. The first Middlesex County Pauper Asylum, now Saint Bernard's Hospital, had opened at Hanwell in 1831 (see H11/HLL). In 1851 Colney Hatch, designed in the Italianate style by S. W. Dawkes, with 1,250 beds was the largest and most modern institution of its kind in Europe. Within ten years it was enlarged to take 2,000 patients. It had its own cemetery (closed in 1873 after which patients were buried in the Great Northern Cemetery), its own farm on which many patients were employed, its own water supply, and its own sewage works built after local residents complained of untreated sewage from the asylum flowing into Pym's Brook.
On the creation of the County of London in 1889 Colney Hatch Asylum was transferred from the control of the Middlesex Justices to the London County Council, although it remained geographically within the administrative county of Middlesex. The need for more accommodation for lunatics led to construction in 1896 of a temporary wood and iron building for 320 chronic and infirm female patients in five dormitories. This was destroyed by a fire in 1903 with the loss of 51 lives. Between 1908 and 1913 seven permanent brick villas were built, one for behavioural disordered subnormal and epileptic boys, two with verandas for tubercular and dysenteric cases, and the remainder for women who had survived the fire. In 1912 a disused carpenter's shop and stores at the railway siding were converted into additional accommodation for male patients. Brunswick House at Mistley in Essex was leased in 1914 to provide 50 beds for working male patients supervised by a single charge attendant and four assistants. After the First World War, Brunswick House became a separate unit for higher-grade “subnormals”.
Construction of a male admission villa in 1927 and a female nurses home in 1937 freeing 89 beds for female patients brought the number of patients to its highest total of almost 2,700. In 1937 it was renamed Friern Hospital. Patients were admitted from the Metropolitan boroughs of Finsbury, Hampstead, Holborn, Islington, Saint Marylebone, Saint Pancras and Shoreditch. Jewish patients from the whole of the County of London were as far as possible congregated at Friern, which provided special arrangements for the preparation of food and religious ministrations. The staff included nine full time doctors, 494 nurse and 171 probationers.
On the outbreak of the Second World War 12 wards along the main front corridor containing 215 male and 409 female beds were taken over by the Emergency Medical Service run by units from Saint Bartholomew's Hospital. Patients were sent to other hospitals or distributed around the remaining wards. Five villas were either destroyed or damaged by air raids in 1941 in which 36 patients and 4 nurses died. Shortage of accommodation resulted in acute overcrowding.
In 1948 Friern Hospital became part of the National Health Service under the control of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. It had its own Hospital Management Committee, which was renamed the New Southgate Group Hospital Management Committee on the opening of Halliwick Hospital in 1958. This was a new 145 bed block built in the grounds of Friern at a distance from the main hospital. It was intended to serve as an admission unit to separate recent cases from confirmed, long stay patients. In practice it became a 'neurosis unit' for 'less sick, socially superior, and fringe patients' (Hunter and MacAlpine p.50) selected by the medical staff. By 1972 it ceased to be treated as a separate hospital and, now known as Halliwick House, provided admission and convalescent beds for the main hospital.
By 1973 the official maximum number of patients in Friern had been reduced to 1,500. On the reorganisation of the National Health Service in 1974 the hospital became the responsibility of the North East Thames Regional Health Authority and Camden and Islington Area Health Authority. On the abolition of area health authorities in 1982, Friern was transferred to Hampstead Health Authority, which in 1993 merged with Bloomsbury and Islington Health Authority to form Camden and Islington Health Authority. By 1989 it had been decided that Friern Hospital should close as part of the policy of replacing large long stay mental hospitals with care in the community. The hospital finally closed on 31 March 1993.
The Hospital for Diseases of the Throat in Golden Square was founded in 1862 by Dr Morell Mackenzie, a pioneer of laryngology. It began as a free dispensary, but soon adopted a provident system whereby patients contributed towards the cost of their treatment.
The hospital was sufficiently successful for the Prince of Wales to become Patron in 1872; however, from this point Golden Square suffered a number of setbacks. Between July 1873 and November 1874 the hospital was unsuccessful both in its attempt to gain a royal charter and its application to the Board of Trade for incorporation. Three Trustees were subsequently appointed to manage the affairs of the hospital: Lord Charles Bruce, Colonel Percy Fielding and Dr Morell Mackenzie, but it continued to deteriorate. In 1878 an enquiry into the financial management of the hospital resulted in the withdrawal of Royal Patronage. Members of staff began to desert the hospital in droves; Lennox Browne and Llewellyn Thomas left in 1874 to set up their own establishment, and between 1876 and 1877 seven further members of staff (including the Chairman of the Management Committee, Matron and Secretary) resigned over an incident with a patient.
In 1904, the King's Fund put forward a proposal to merge the five ENT hospitals in London: the Hospital for Diseases of the Throat in Golden Square, the Central London Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in Gray's Inn Road, the Royal Ear Hospital in Huntley Street, the London Throat Hospital in Portland Street, and the Metropolitan Ear Nose and Throat Hospital in Fitzroy Square. The Hospital for Diseases of the Throat in Golden Square eventually decided to merge with the London Throat Hospital in 1918. The Royal Ear Hospital merged with University College Hospital in the following year. In 1939, the decision was taken to amalgamate with the Central London Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, and a joint Committee of Management was formed.
The merger was delayed by the outbreak of war, during which, in 1940, the hospital was slightly damaged by bombing. Golden Square had a number of eminent surgeons on its staff, including Charles Heath (1856-1934) who invented the anti-gas helmet used by British soldiers in World War I, George Cathcart (1861-1951) who financed the first Prom with Henry Wood and Lionel Colledge (1883-1948) who was instrumental in the amalgamation of Golden Square with the Central London, and in whose honour the Royal College of Surgeons awards the annual Lionel Colledge Fellowship.
The Hampstead General Hospital was founded in 1882 in South Hill Park Road as the Hampstead Home Hospital and Nursing Institute by Dr William Heath Strange, with the aim of providing care for people who did not wish to be treated at a public hospital, but could afford to pay a small amount for their treatment. In 1894 it changed its name to the Hampstead Hospital and in 1902, when the number of patients had outgrown the original building, the foundation stones of a new building were laid on Haverstock Hill. However, by 1907 the money for this project had run out, and the only way to complete the project was to merge with the North-West London Hospital in Camden Town, becoming the Hampstead General and North-West London Hospital. Thereafter the in-patients were treated in the new Hampstead General on Haverstock Hill and outpatients at the Camden site. In 1912 a new outpatients department was built at Bayham Street, Camden, in the house in which Charles Dickens had lived as a boy. The hospital became part of the Royal Free Group in 1948. It was demolished in 1975 to make way for the building of the new Royal Free.
The North-Western Fever Hospital, Lawn Road, Hampstead, was founded in 1870 as the Hampstead Smallpox Hospital. However, owing to pressure from local residents smallpox patients were removed from metropolitan areas shortly afterwards, and the hospital became the North-Western Fever Hospital, managed by the Metropolitan Asylums Board. The main buildings of the hospital were built in 1892, set in large grounds.
The hospital was in great demand during the frequent outbreaks of diseases such as polio in the first half of the twentieth century, and one ward was used by patients in iron lungs. In 1944, when the Goodenough Report set guidelines for the optimal number of beds that should be available to provide a proper training for medical students, the Dean of the London School of Medicine for Women, Katharine Lloyd-Williams, approached the London County Council about the possibility of allowing students access to North-Western Fever Hospital beds to augment the number of cases already available to them at the Royal Free Hospital in Gray's Inn Road.
The Hospital joined Royal Free Hospital Group on the inception of the National Health Service in 1948, and was renamed the Lawn Road or North-Western Branch of the Royal Free Hospital. As fever cases declined in Britain, the remaining infectious disease beds were transferred to Coppetts Wood Hospital in 1963, and the Lawn Road branch of the RFH became used for general cases. Throughout the 1960s the branch achieved worldwide recognition as the place where the first kidney transplants were performed, and also the hospital which pioneered home dialysis. When the Royal Free was rebuilt in Hampstead, the land on which the North-Western Fever Hospital had stood was used, and the remaining parts of the old building were demolished in 1973. The 'new' Royal Free still has a 'Lawn Road' Division, dealing with surgery, communicable diseases, renal services, and therapy services.
The London School of Medicine for Women was the first medical school in Britain to allow women to train to become fully qualified doctors. Many pioneering women doctors trained and worked at the School, including Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Louisa Aldrich-Blake, and Mary Scharlieb.
Until 1874 it was almost impossible for women to train as doctors in Britain. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, who was Dean of the School from 1883-1903, was actually the first woman to qualify in Medicine, but as soon as she had done so, in 1865, the loophole which allowed her to do so was closed, preventing others from following in her footsteps.
The London School of Medicine for Women was set up by a group of pioneering women physicians, led by Sophia Jex-Blake, who had been expelled from Edinburgh University after beginning their medical training, together with some male doctors who supported women's entry into the medical profession. It was the first medical school in Britain to admit women, and the only school to do so until 1886.
The School opened in 1874, in a small house in Henrietta Street, off Brunswick Square. At first, students were taught in laboratories and classrooms at the School by a group of male lecturers. Then in 1877, an agreement was reached with the Royal Free Hospital which allowed students at the London School of Medicine for Women to complete their clinical studies on its wards. The Royal Free Hospital was the first teaching hospital in London to admit women for training. In recognition of this relationship, in 1898 the School changed its name to The London (Royal Free Hospital) School of Medicine for Women.
The School building was rebuilt and enlarged in 1898. The main entrance was moved to the Hunter Street side of the building, and the address changed to reflect this. The School was further enlarged in 1914, when the number of women wishing to study medicine made it necessary to practically double the number of laboratories and lecture rooms. At this time the school had over 300 students, making it the largest of the women's university colleges in Britain. In just 40 years the number of women on the medical register had increased from two to 1000, 600 of whom were graduates of the School.
The School was noted for its strong links with other countries, beginning in 1890 when the first Indian female student enrolled. Many students went abroad to help train female doctors in cultures where women could not be seen by male doctors. This part of the School's mission was encouraged by Queen Victoria, who felt very strongly that all her subjects in the Empire should have access to proper medical treatment.
Increasing numbers of students were admitted, particularly when the First World War took many male medical students overseas. Past students of the School did valiant work for the war effort at this time, voluntarily staffing all-female medical units across Europe, and female medical students who were refugees from European universities also joined the School temporarily.
The School remained women-only until 1948, when all medical schools became co-educational under the newly inaugurated National Health Service (NHS). This necessitated another change of name for the School, to the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine.
By the 1950s, the School was pre-eminent in medical research, known particularly for its Medical Unit, renal unit and haemophilia centre.
When the Royal Free Hospital moved to Hampstead in 1974, the school followed, finally moving all its activities from Hunter Street by 1983.
After World War Two the School was threatened by three successive government reports (in 1946, 1968 and 1980), either with closure or with merger with another school. Each time the School rejected the proposals. In 1998 however, the School finally merged with University College London to form a new school, the Royal Free and University College Medical School. In October 2008 it was officially renamed UCL Medical School.
Harrisons and Eastern Export Limited was formed in 1913 in England through the amalgamation of the Australasian interests of Harrisons and Crosfield's Colombo and Calcutta branches with the business of Eastern Export Proprietary Limited (a subsidiary of Fraser Ramsay Proprietary) to merge their tea businesses. The Company was re-registered in Colombo after it went into voluntary liquidation. With a head office in Colombo and branch office in Calcutta, the Company exported tea from Ceylon to Australia and New Zealand. In 1953 Harrisons and Crosfield Limited purchased the entire share capital from Harrisons Ramsay Proprietary. For historical notes on the Company see CLC/B/112/MS37392.
In April 1960 First Limator Limited was registered; in May it was renamed London Sumatra Plantations Limited. It acted as a holding company of various plantation estates companies. In 1960 it acquired
Allied Sumatra Plantations Limited (CLC/B/112-018),
Asahan Rubber Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-020),
Deli Estates Engineering and General Union Limited (CLC/B/112-042),
Lankat Rubber Company (CLC/B/112-102),
Mendaris (Sumatra) Rubber and Produce Estates (CLC/B/112-115),
Soengei Rampah Rubber and Coconut Plantations Company (CLC/B/112-144),
Tandjong Rubber Company (CLC/B/112-153),
Toerangie (Sumatra) Rubber and Produce Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-155), and
United Serdang (Sumatra) Rubber Plantations Limited (CLC/B/112-159).
In 1961 it acquired
Bah Lias Rubber Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-023),
Bajoe Kidoel Rubber and Produce Company (CLC/B/112-024),
Central Sumatra Rubber Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-031),
Djasinga Rubber and Produce Company (CLC/B/112044),
Kulai Rubber Estate Limited (CLC/B/112-098),
Namoe Tongan Rubber Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-119),
Sialang Rubber Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-143) and
United Lankat Plantations Company (CLC/B/112-158).
It acquired Nalek Rubber Estate Limited (CLC/B/112-118) in 1964, and Auxiliary Investments Limited (CLC/B/112-021) in 1967/8.
London Sumatra Plantations Limited became a PLC (public limited company) in 1982. In 1984 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Harrisons and Crosfield Limited until 1994 when it was sold off.
Lunuva (Ceylon) Tea and Rubber Estates Limited was registered in 1907 to acquire the Swinton, Rookatenne, Waldemar, Amblangoda, Galloola and Hopton tea and rubber estates in Ceylon [Sri Lanka]. In 1926 it acquired Hingurugama Tea and Rubber Estates Limited, Brambrakelly (Ceylon) Tea and Rubber Company and Sapumalkande Rubber Company. In 1945 it acquired Crawley Tea Estates Limited.
The company was nationalised by the Sri Lankan government in 1975. In April 1982 it became a PLC (public limited company), and in 1983 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112).
Malayalam Plantations (Holdings) Limited was registered in 1977 to acquire the share capital of Malayalam Plantations Limited (which was registered in 1921 to acquire properties in Southern India). In 1978 all the shares in the company were acquired by Harrisons and Crosfield Limited. In 1982 Harrisons and Crosfield Limited sold 34% of the equity to Indian nationals.
Meppadi Wynaad Tea Company Limited was registered in 1910 to acquire the Arrapetta-Kardoora, Neddikarna, Nedimballi-Meppadi, Moopenaad, and Sentinel Rock estates in the Wynaad district of southern India. In 1923 it was acquired by Malayalam Plantations Limited (CLC/B/112-113).
Midland Aggregates Limited, a company owning sand and gravel deposits, was a wholly owned subsidiary of Wilkinson Rubber Linatex Limited (CLC/B/112-166).
Strathisla (Perak) Rubber Estates Limited: This company was registered in 1910 to acquire estates in the Kinta district of Perak, Malaya. In 1959 it was taken over by Pataling Rubber Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-124).
Phillips, Harrisons and Crosfield Limited, traders in tea, was registered in 1965 on the merger of the Harrisons and Crosfield's branch business in Nairobi, Kenya (established in 1963) and the firm of P. Phillips and Company Limited. In 1974 an African registered company, Apex Distributors Limited, was formed and controlled by Phillips, Harrisons and Crosfield Limited with a minority shareholding. In 1987 Harrisons and Crosfield sold their 50% holding in Phillips, Harrisons and Crosfield.
This company was registered in 1961 as Borneo Plantations Limited, for production of palm oil, kernels and cocoa on land offered by the Borneo Government to the British Borneo Timber Company at Kalunpang, North Borneo, formerly leased by Darvel Tobacco Company (see CLC/B/112/MS38170). In April 1962 the name was changed to Sabah Plantations Limited. Harrisons and Crosfield acted as secretaries and eastern agents until 1982 when they were replaced by Harrisons Malaysian Plantations Berhad (CLC/B/112-080). From 1977-83 Harrisons Malaysian Estates (CLC/B/112-079) held 48% of the capital of Sabah Plantations Limited; from 1984 it held 100%. From 1982 the company was resident in Malaysia for tax purposes.
Sabah Timber Company Limited was registered in 1920 as British Borneo Timber Company Limited, on an agreement between Harrisons and Crosfield Limited and British North Borneo (Chartered) Company. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited transferred the property and assets of China Borneo Company Limited to British Borneo Timber Company Limited. The company received timber cutting licences. Harrisons and Crosfield acted as secretaries and agents for British Borneo Timber Company Limited from 1920.
British Borneo Timber Company Limited supplied logs to Borneo Veneers Limited (established in 1959), which was half owned by British Borneo Timber Company Limited and half by Plywoods Limited.
In 1963 British Borneo Timber Company Limited was renamed Sabah Timber Company Limited. (It already controlled a company named Sabah Timber Company, registered in March 1963. The name of this company was changed in October 1963 to Sabah Trading Company Limited, see CLC/B/112-138). In the same year the name of Borneo Veneers Limited was changed to Sabah Veneers Limited (see CLC/B/112-139).
In 1972/3 Harrisons and Crosfield Limited acquired 50% of the shareholding in Sabah Timber Company Limited which became a subsidiary company. It became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1978.
Sabah Timber Company Limited acquired a number of other timber supplying companies including John Wright and Son (Redditch) Limited in 1969, William T Storer and Company Limited in 1970, Robinson, David and Company in 1969 and Pattinson and Company Limited in 1982.
In 1982 the last logging agreement ended and Sabah Timber Company developed an extensive timber and building supplies network in the UK and Ireland. In 1988 the timber and building supplies operations of Harrisons and Crosfield Limited were consolidated into a single corporate identity: Harcros Timber and Building Supplies Limited.
For historical notes on Sabah Timber Company see CLC/B/112/MS37392.
Seaport (Selangor) Rubber Estate Limited was registered in 1910 to acquire land on the railway between Klang and Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Malaya. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited acted as secretaries for the company 1910-1965. In 1965/6 Seport (Selangor) Rubber Estate Limited went into voluntary liquidation and its estates were sold.
South African Nectar Tea Company Limited was acquired by Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) in 1914 to pack and sell nectar tea in South Africa. Its head office was in Cape Town. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited sold the company in 1920/1.
Sungei Kari (Sumatra) Rubber Estates Limited was registered in 1909 to acquire estates in Serdang, Sumatra. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) became agents for the company in 1924.