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The family business was established in the early 1800s in London and traded as pawnbrokers and jewellers. The main company, G.W. and A.E. Thomson Limited occupied premises at 36 Chalk Farm Road. The company established several branches which were situated at:

105 Uxbridge Road 'Shepherd's Bush Branch'

756 - 158 Holloway Road Branch

228 Kilburn High Street

63 Praed Street

The Holloway Road Branch was subject to an armed robbery in 1983 in which a staff assistant had been party. The branch closed the following year.

In 1954 an additional business was opened at 158 Portobello Road which was incorporated as A. E. and D. A. Thomson Limited.

In 1963 a further additional business was opened at Watford which was incorporated as D. A. Thomson and Sons Limited. This business closed in April 1982.

The companies traded as 'Thomsons.'

Saramar Limited was a mail order business run by the family. It was incorporated in 1964. The company ceased to trade in March 1998 and dissolved in 2000.

The London Archaeologist Association was founded in 1968 and the first issue of London Archaeologist magazine was produced late that year. The association is a registered charity.

The magazine is produced by a mixture of professional and amateur archaeologists and covers the 'London' area, which allows a flexible approach. The annual membership subscription covers four issues of the magazine plus a supplement devoted to excavations, fieldwork and details of books and articles on London's archaeology.

As well as publishing London Archaeologist, the charity undertakes educational activities, administers the London Archaeological Prize, and supports publication of archaeological work.

Founded in the 1960's, the Jewish Vegetarian Society is an international charity that promotes vegetarianism throughout the world.

Founded in 1978, the Jewish Research Group published and exhibited research by its members. The 'Heritage' series of publications produced material to further understand the Jewish settlement in North London.

Community Health Councils were established in England and Wales in 1974 "to represent the interests in the health service of the public in its district" (National Health Service Reorganisation Act, 1973). Often referred to as 'the patient’s voice in the NHS', each Community Health Council (CHC) served the public and patients in its local area by representing their interests to National Health Service (NHS) authorities and by monitoring the provision of health services to their communities.

CHCs were independent statutory bodies with certain legal powers. CHCs were entitled to receive information about local health services, to be consulted about changes to health service provision, and to carry out monitoring visits to NHS facilities. They also had the power to refer decisions about proposed closures of NHS facilities to the Secretary of State for Health. For this reason, CHCs were sometimes known as the ‘watchdogs’ of the NHS. The co-ordinated monitoring of waiting times in Accident and Emergency departments led to ‘Casualty Watch’ which gained national press coverage. Locally, many CHCs represented patients’ views by campaigning for improved quality of care and better access to NHS services, and by responding to local issues such as proposed hospital closures.

Each CHC had around 20 voluntary members from the local area. Half were appointed the local authority, a third were elected from voluntary bodies and the remainder were appointed by the Secretary of State for Health. Members met every month to six weeks and meetings were usually open to the general public. Guest speakers or guest attendees were often invited, particularly when a specific topic or issue was under discussion.

All CHCs employed a small number of paid office staff and some had shop-front offices, often on the high street, where members of the public could go for advice and information about local NHS services. CHCs published leaflets and guidance on a wide variety of topics from ‘how to find a GP’ to ‘how to make a complaint’.

Within the guiding principles and statutory duties of the legislation, CHCs developed organically in response to the needs of the communities they served and for this reason considerable variation can be found in the records of different CHCs.

Harrow Community Health Council was created in September 1974. Half of its members were nominated by the boroughs of Brent and Harrow. The CHC Initially met at Harrow Hospital and then in a conference room of the Brent and Harrow Area Health Authority in Signal House, Lyon Road from February 1975 onwards. The CHC later had offices on Junction Road.

Community Health Councils in England were abolished in 2003 as part of the ‘NHS Plan (2000)’. The last meeting of Harrow CHC was held in October 2003.

CARL Communications Limited was founded in 1972 with the first 'Pensions World' magazine published in September of that year. Based at 60 Thames Street, Sunbury on Thames, the firm produced six titles alongside 'Pensions World'. Having formed through an initiative of The National Association of Pension Funds, 'Pensions World' absorbed NAPF’s newsletter, the 'Information Bulletin' and eventually the NAPF had a bulk subscription and distributed it to all their members. The company was sold to Tolley Publishing of Croydon in 1986. The publication remained the official Association journal while CARL Communications’s other work continued under a new partnership, Carl Associates.

The Shabbaton Choir is a voluntary male-voice choir, drawn from the ranks of several synagogue choirs. It was formed in 1986 under the musical direction of Stephen Glass, and performed for the first time in the Wigmore Hall under its founding name the B'nai Brith Festival Singers.

The choir performs at concerts and synagogue services throughout the UK and undertakes concert tours abroad. It has recorded many times for the BBC and has featured regularly on radio and television broadcasts in the UK and abroad. It has also recorded several albums of its music.

The group's hallmark is its innovative choral arrangements. Its aim is to bring out clearly the mood and meaning of the words, thus making orthodox services more meaningful. Arrangements and new compositions are undertaken the musical director, originally in partnership with Chazan Lionel Rosenfeld.

In 1990 the group was renamed the Shabbaton Choir and Stephen Levey took over as musical director in 1991.

Since 2003 the choir has visited Israel regularly to perform, under the title Solidarity Through Song, where they sing at hospitals and medical centres and to victims of terrorist attacks. The choir has also visited Germany and sung at the sites of concentration camps.

Land at Rotherhithe was granted to the Bishop of Worcester in 893, but Rotherhithe is not mentioned in the Domesday Book. In 1127 land there was granted to the Abbey of Bermondsey, who held it until the dissolution when the lands were taken by the Crown. In 1608 the manor was granted to Robert, Earl of Salisbury. From 1692 onwards it passed to many owners including the Bennet, Scawen, Swinfen, Wager, Gashry, Goldsworthy, Gomm and Carr-Gomm families. The Gomms sold parts of the land to the Surrey Commercial Docks and for Southwark Park. The last manorial court was held in 1846.

Source of information: 'Parishes: Rotherhithe', A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4 (1912), pp. 83-92.

The Manor and Prebend of Wenlocks Barn was situated in the parishes of Saint Luke, Old Street and Saint Leonard Shoreditch. Tenants included St Bartholomew's Hospital, the Chamber of London and the Prebend of More.

Francis John Tyssen established extensive land holdings in Hackney (see below). His estates were left to his daughter Mary Tyssen. Her grandson William George Daniel (1801-55) took the surname Daniel-Tyssen. He married Amelia Amhurst. Their son William Amhurst Tyssen (1835-1909) adopted the surname Tyssen-Amherst in 1852, changing it to Tyssen-Amherst in 1877. His estates included 9488 acres at Didlington Hall, Norfolk, as well as the Hackney estates in London.

THE MANOR OF LORDSHOLD, HACKNEY: The principal manor of Hackney, now known as Lordshold, was formerly held by the Bishop of London who surrendered it to King Edward VI in 1550, together with the manor of Stepney. Both manors were granted by the King to Thomas, Lord Wentworth, Stepney in 1550 and Hackney in 1551 and remained in the Wentworth family until the confiscation of the Earl of Cleveland's estates in 1652. In 1633, however, the Earl of Cleveland had mortgaged the manor to Sir Thomas Trevor and Thomas Trevor. The redemption sum was not repaid and the term was assigned to Anne, Viscountess of Dorchester in trust for Viscount Bayning, whose executors Sir Thomas Gleinham and Henry Gleinham assigned it to Richard Wallcott, Richard Wallop, William Smith and Francis Glover. The remainder of the term was acquired by William Hobson in 1660, whose coheirs sold it to John Forth, Alderman of London and, after a dispute in Chancery between the Wentworth and Forth families, this assignment was confirmed in 1669. In 1676 the manor was sold to Nicholas Cary and Thomas Cooke, goldsmiths and was subsequently purchased by Francis Tyssen in 1697.

THE MANOR OF KINGSHOLD, HACKNEY: By the 13th century, the Knights Hospitaller had acquired considerable lands in Hackney which passed to the Priory of St John of Jerusalem on the abolition of the Order. When the Priory was, in turn, dissolved by King Henry VIII, this estate was granted to Henry, Earl of Northumberland. Although the Earl conveyed the manor to Sir Thomas Audley, the Lord Chancellor, in 1535 for the King's use, the Earl kept possession until his death in 1537 when it reverted to the Crown. From that time the manor was known as Kingshold. In 1547 Edward VI granted it to William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke who sold it to Sir Ralph Sadler in the same year. In 1548 it passed to the Carew family until 1578 when it was alienated to Sir Henry Carey, Lord Hunsdon. He conveyed the manor to Sir Rowland Hayward in 1583 and after conveyance to Elizabeth, Countess of Oxford in 1596 and Fulke Grevile in 1609, it reverted to the Crown. In 1614 it was granted to Thomas Lande and Thomas Banckes who sold it to Hugh Sexey. In 1647 the manor was acquired by William Hobson, whose sons-in-law alienated it to Sir George Vyner in 1668. In 1694 it was purchased by John Sikes, one of the coheirs of Sir Thomas Vyner who sold it in 1698 to Francis Tyssen.

THE MANOR OF GRUMBOLDS, HACKNEY: The manor of Grumbolds formed part of the Rectory of Hackney, the advowson of which was originally vested in the Bishops of London as lords of the superior manor, until both were separated from the see in 1550. It then seemed to continue to pass with the ownership of Lordshold.

Clink Liberty was the name commonly used for the manor of the Bishop of Winchester in Southwark. It had been granted to the bishops by King Stephen. The bishops usually had a role as royal ministers, and as the importance of Winchester decreased they commonly lived in their Southwark palace, Winchester House. The first mention of the 'Clink' occurs in 1530, when the king granted the offices of bailiff and keeper of the manor of the Clink to Thomas Dawson and William Burdett respectively. In the religious upheavals of the 1530s onwards the lordship was taken by the Crown and in 1551 this was confirmed when the Dean and Chapter of Winchester vested the manor in the king. However, the Elizabethan bishops of Winchester often lived in Southwark. At this date the house fronted the river and had its own wharf and stairs.

In 1642 the house was turned into a prison by Act of Parliament. In 1649 the trustees for the estates of bishoprics sold the "Winchester Liberty or Clink Liberty" to Thomas Walker of Southwark. On the Restoration the lordship reverted to the bishopric of Winchester, but was not used again as the episcopal residence, and was rented out to several tenants and the building deteriorated. By 1863 the property had been parcelled out to various buyers including the Metropolitan Board of Works, the Charing Cross Railway Company and the wardens of St Saviour's Church. The rights of lordship were vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

Information from: 'The borough of Southwark: Manors', A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4 (1912), pp. 141-151 (available online).

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).

Tooting Graveney Manor was held by the abbey of Chertsey from around 675. The abbots rented out the manor to various tenants, including the de Gravenel family who gave their name to the area. The overlordship of the abbey lasted until 1428. The estates were held by the Dymoke family from 1393 till 1593, when they were sold to James Harrington, who conveyed them to Sir Henry Maynard. In 1692 the manor was conveyed by the Maynards to the Rushouts in a marriage settlement. It subsequently changed ownership several times, coming to William James Thompson in 1861. Thompson transferred the manorial rights to the Metropolitan Board of Works sometime after 1870.

Betts v Thompson was a case between William James Thompson and the tenants of the manor over the right to common land. In 1865 Thompson had initiated legal proceedings against Betts for trespass when he allowed his cattle on the common. At that date an informal agreement had been reached that the lord should give the commoners 26 acres of the common, retaining 37 acres for himself. This portion was to be fenced off, but a question arose whether the commoners should still have the right to walk over the 37 acre portion as they could before, while Thompson wanted to have exclusive use. One night in 1868 the inhabitants of Tooting pulled down £500 of fencing, and Betts filed the complaint against Thompson enforcing his right of recreation on common land. The Master of the Rolls found in favour of Betts favour and Thompson appealed. The Lord Chancellor upheld the earlier decision and confirmed the rights of the freehold tenants of the manor of Tooting.

Historical information from 'Parishes: Tooting Graveney', A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4 (1912), pp. 102-107 (available online), legal case information from report in The Times, Thursday, Aug 03, 1871; pg. 11; Issue 27132; col A.

The office of Justice of the Peace dates from the Fourteenth Century (MJ), when their Commission of the Peace gave them the power to enquire into "all manner of poisonings, enchantments, forestallings, disturbances and abuses", try offences in their courts of Quarter Sessions and keep the peace in their locality. During the Sixteenth Century the work of the Quarter Sessions and the Justices was extended to include administrative functions for the county.

The dependence of the Justices on officials like the Sheriff, the constables and the Clerk of the Peace to help them carry out their functions (judicial and administrative) cannot be underestimated. As their workload grew, particularly during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, more help was needed and there was an increase in the number of officers appointed for specific tasks, committees for specific purposes, and the carrying out of many routine tasks by small groups of Justices sitting outside the court sessions (see MSJ).

The Custos Rotolorum (Keeper of the Records) was officially responsible for the care of the county records. He was a leading Justice, unpaid, held the post for life, and (since the Seventeenth Century) was usually also the county's Lord Lieutenant. However, in practice it was his Deputy, the Clerk of the Peace who arranged for the records' registration and deposit.

The office of Clerk of the Peace was as old as that of the Justices - a statute of 1361 stated that a clerk was to "assist the justices assembled in Quarter Sessions in drawing indictments, arraigning prisoners, joining issue for the Crown, entering their judgements, awarding their process and marking up and keeping their records". His duties were always wide ranging - serving the Justices in their administrative and judicial work - both areas produced records that needed to be prepared and filed. Hence many of the records ended up being stored together simply because the same man was dealing with all of them.

Alongside the aforementioned functions of Quarter Sessions was its role (from the Sixteenth Century) as the place for the registration and deposit of official non-sessions records which needed to be certified and available for inspection (see MR) - again, the work of the Clerk of the Peace. He also acted as clerk to the many committees set up by the Justices, was Clerk to the Lieutenancy (see L), and (as a trained attorney) advised the court on law, procedure and rules of evidence when called upon to do so. Such a workload meant that in practice he delegated much to the deputy he was allowed to appoint.

The Justices probably used their own clerks on occasions, particularly for the various petty sessions that began to take place. The Custos Rotolorum appointed the Clerk (until 1888, when the responsibility passed to the new county councils). By an Act of 1545 qualification was introduced as to who was suitable - "a sufficient person residing within the county and an able person, learned and instructed in the laws of the realm", and he was in practice a local practising lawyer. With his own strong room or safe box he would have kept some records outside of the court building, and hence one reason why a lot of county and Quarter Sessions records have ended up in private collections or even been lost altogether. The Clerk held the post for life, and received a small official salary of two shillings a day for his attendance at the sessions. He could also claim fees from individuals for work carried out on their behalf within the sessions (his main remuneration), and money from court funds for each action carried out in his official capacity. The post was abolished in 1972.

From 1361 a group of men existed who were known as Justices of the Peace, and who were given the power to try offences in their court of Quarter Sessions. During the Sixteenth Century the work of the quarter sessions and the Justices was extended to include administrative functions for the counties. These were wide ranging and included maintenance of structures such as bridges, gaols and asylums to regulating weights, measures, prices and wages, and, probably one of their biggest tasks, enforcing the Poor Law. The dependence of the justices on officials like the Sheriff, the constables and the Clerk of the Peace to help them carry out their functions (judicial and administrative) cannot be underestimated. As their workload grew, particularly during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuriesore help was needed, and there was an increase in the number of officers (such as the County Treasurer) appointed for specific tasks, and committees for specific purposes were set up.

By the beginning of the Nineteenth Century it was clear that the quarter sessions structure was unable to cope with the administrative demands on it, and it lost a lot of functions to bodies set up specifically to deal with particular areas. By the end of the century, when the Local Government Act of 1889 passed which established county councils, the sessions had lost all their administrative functions. The first treasurers appointed by Middlesex were only appointed on a temporary basis - to look after funds for specific purposes (for maimed soldiers' funds, the repair of a bridge, or building a house of correction), as and when rates were levied for that purpose. The first surviving record of such an appointment appears in the sessions register for April 1608 where the names of several treasurers for different funds are entered (see MJ/SB/R) - although some treasurers held several funds at the same time. In 1726 Sir Daniel Dolin was made treasurer of all funds and was sometimes referred to as the General Treasurer of the county.

In 1731 John Higgs was formally appointed General Treasurer to receive sums raised by any public rates. He was to be paid an annual salary of twenty five pounds and was required to give security to three Justices. He was also required to keep an account book which was to be audited annually and then kept with the county records by the Clerk of the Peace. The County Rate Act of 1739 stipulated that in future only one, general, rate was to be levied, and that it should be paid to the treasurer appointed by quarter sessions. Under the 1739 Act the City and Liberty of Westminster was not given a separate rate and the Middlesex County Treasurer was to pay any sums of money approved by the Westminster quarter sessions. The range of the Treasurer's work can be seen by looking at the scope of his accounts in this collection. Accounts were audited regularly every quarter by a committee of justices appointed for that purpose, the first occasion being September 1740. Their report, including an extract of both Middlesex and Westminster income and expenditure accounts were usually recorded in the Orders of Court books (see MJ/OC). After audit they were signed as approved by the court of sessions. In 1822 a local Act of Parliament was passed to regulate more closely the Middlesex Treasurer, as a result of the loss of some county funds while G B Mainwaring was in the post (1804-1822), following the failure of the Mainwaring Bank in 1814.

The origins of the Justices of the Peace lie in the temporary appointments of 'conservators' or 'keepers' of the peace made at various times of unrest between the late twelfth century and the fourteenth century. In 1361 the 'Custodis Pacis' were merged with the Justices of Labourers, and given the title Justices of the Peace and a commission.

The Commission of the Peace gave them the power to try offences in their courts of Quarter Sessions which manorial courts were not able to be deal with (misdemeanours), but which were less serious than those which went to the Assize Judges (felonies). It appointed them to conserve the peace (within a stated area) and to enquire on the oaths of "good and lawfull men" into "all manner of poisonings, enchantments, forestallings, disturbances, abuses of weights and measures" and many other things, and to "chastise and punish" anyone who had offended against laws made in order to keep the peace.

Gradually the justices took over the work of the sheriff in the county. During the sixteenth century their powers and duties increased, as the Tudor monarchs found them a cheap and effective way of enforcing their will across the country. Likewise, the new middle classes saw the post as a means to gain local prestige and influence (despite the arduous and costly duties) and there was regular pressure 'from below' to increase numbers in the Commission. Consequently, at this time, the numbers on the commission rose from an average of 8 to around 30 to 40 by the middle of the sixteenth century. Not until the mid-nineteenth century did the post lose its desirability and numbers begin to drop off.

It was a system that recognised local social structures - the natural wish to regulate local law and order, and men wanting to be judged by other local men. The justices have often, aptly, been described as 'the rulers of the county', and the crown had to be careful to choose men whose standing would not turn them into faction leaders. Equally, the justices' unpaid status ensured that the crown could not take advantage of them and act despotically, and they retained some local independence. Justices needed to be of sufficient local status to exercise authority in a judicial and administrative capacity, and to supervise the parish officials who did so much of the actual law enforcement. Men were therefore appointed from the ranks of the local gentry, most without legal training. To some extent their unpaid status excluded men from the lower orders who had to work and earn a wage.

As early as 1439 a statute introduced a property qualification for each prospective justice (see MJP/Q). Many names on the commission were purely honorific, not all of those listed had to attend every court, and in practice only a minority did so. Only those named as being of the quorum (who possessed knowledge of the law) had to appear. The justices were helped in their work by parish and court officials, and most particularly by the Clerk of the Peace who was responsible for the everyday administration of the court as well as maintaining a record of its work (see MR).

During the eighteenth century as the sessions' work increased in amount and variety, committees were set up and officials were appointed for specific tasks. The County Treasurer was one such official, whose post developed from the treasurers appointed to keep the funds for which rates were periodically raised, such as the repair of bridges, maimed soldiers and maintenance of the house of correction. Sometimes one person had control of several funds - in Middlesex for example in 1726, Sir Daniel Dollin was made general treasurer of the County; and in 1731 John Higgs was formally appointed general treasurer to receive funds raised by any public rates, to be paid an annual salary of twenty-five pounds, and to keep an account book for annual audit and storage by the Clerk of the Peace.

The County Rate Act of 1739 directed that one general rate should be levied instead of several, and that it should be paid to the treasurer appointed by the sessions. Under this Act, Westminster had no separate rate from Middlesex, meaning that the latter's county treasurer was responsible for the City's accounts also. Records of the work of these officials may be found not only in the main body of sessions records (see MJ and MR), but also in their own series: MC - Clerk of the Peace; MF - County Treasurer; MS - County Surveyor; TC - records of offices held by county officers outside sessions work.

The Middlesex Magistrates' Courts Committee functioned for the whole County since there was no borough with a separate commission of the peace, and its members included justices representing each petty sessional division in the County.

The Committee was empowered, amongst other matters, to make representations to the Home Secretary regarding any alterations of the petty sessional divisions. It also took responsibility for the appointment of the clerks to the justices and their staff.

Under the provisions of the Justices of the Peace Act, the Middlesex County Council assumed responsibility for the provision of petty sessional courthouses, etc, and for expenses incurred by the Magistrates' Courts Committee, so there was close coordination between the Council and the Committee on all matters involving expenditure.

Source of information: Middlesex by Sir Clifford Radcliffe (2nd edition, 1954), LMA Library reference 97.09 MID.

The origins of the Justices of the Peace lie in the temporary appointments of 'conservators' or 'keepers' of the peace made at various times of unrest between the late twelfth century and the fourteenth century. In 1361 the 'Custodis Pacis' were merged with the Justices of Labourers, and given the title Justices of the Peace and a commission (see MJP).

The Commission (of the Peace) gave them the power to try offences in their courts of Quarter Sessions, appointed them to conserve the peace within a stated area, and to enquire on the oaths of "good and lawfull men" into "all manner of poisonings, enchantments, forestallings, disturbances, abuses of weights and measures" and many other things, and to "chastise and punish" anyone who had offended against laws made in order to keep the peace. During the sixteenth century the work of the Quarter Sessions and the justices was extended to include administrative functions for the counties. These were wide ranging and included maintenance of structures such as bridges, gaols and asylums; regulating weights, measures, prices and wages, and, probably one of their biggest tasks, enforcing the Poor Law.

The dependence of the justices on officials like the sheriff, the constables, and the Clerk of the Peace to help them carry out their functions (both judicial and administrative) cannot be underestimated. As their workload grew, particularly during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, more help was needed and there was an increase in the number of officers appointed for specific tasks, and committees for specific purposes were set up.

The County Surveyor, sometimes known as the Bridgemaster, was appointed to oversee the maintenance of those roads and bridges which were the county's responsibility. He was a salaried official but the post was not always filled. Esther Moir in her study of the Justices of the Peace (1969, p118) believes that it was only with great reluctance that the Justices admitted "the necessity of a permanent and professional skilled architect or engineer in the place of their old habit" of giving such jobs to local workmen as they came up. The first County Surveyor appointed for Middlesex was Thomas Rogers (c1773-1802), followed by William Wickings (1805-1815), Robert Sibley (c1820-1829) and William Moseley (1829-1846). Frederick Hyde Pownall was appointed in 1847 and continued as surveyor following the creation of the Middlesex County Council in 1888, until 1898, and thereafter as consulting architect and surveyor until 1907. Following Pownall, four more county surveyors were appointed for Middlesex until the abolition of the county in 1965 - Henry Wakelam (1898-1920), Alfred Dryland (1920-1932), William Morgan (1932-1949), and Henry Stuart Andrew (1949-1965).

Common Recovery was a process by which land was transferred from one owner to another. It was a piece of legal fiction involving the party transferring the land, a notional tenant and the party acquiring the land; the tenant was ejected to effect the transfer. An exemplification was a formal copy of a court record issued with the court's seal.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.

An assignment of term, or assignment to attend the inheritance, was an assignment of the remaining term of years in a mortgage to a trustee after the mortgage itself has been redeemed. An assignment of a lease is the transfer of the rights laid out in the lease to another party, usually for a consideration (a sum of money).

Probate (also called proving a will) is the process of establishing the validity of a will, which was recorded in the grant of probate.

Lease and release was the most common method of conveying freehold property from the later seventeenth century onwards, before the introduction of the modern conveyance in the late nineteenth century. The lease was granted for a year (sometimes six months), then on the following day the lessor released their right of ownership in return for the consideration (the thing for which land was transferred from one party to another, usually, of course, a sum of money).

A 'fine' was a fee, separate from the rent, paid by the tenant or vassal to the landlord on some alteration of the tenancy, or a sum of money paid for the granting of a lease or for admission to a copyhold tenement.

A marriage settlement was a legal agreement drawn up before a marriage by the two parties, setting out terms with respect to rights of property and succession.

A bargain and sale was an early form of conveyance often used by executors to convey land. The bargainee, or person to whom the land was bargained and sold, took possession, often referred to as becoming 'seised' of the land.

From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".

These papers relating to properties in London were collected for their general or antiquarian interest rather than having a united provenance (that is, being produced by the same institution or business).

The boundary changes affect the following parishes:
Saint Margaret, Lee;
The Good Shepherd with Saint Peter, Lee;
Saint Mark, Lewisham;
Holy Trinity, Lee;
Saint Michael and All Angels, Blackheath Park;
Christchurch, Lee Park;
Saint James, Kidbrooke;
All Saints, Blackheath;
Saint Peter, Eltham;
Saint Andrew, Mottingham.

No administrative history has been found for Miss Stratton.

Charles Shorter was a merchant living in the City of London in 1659, and in Southwark by 1691.

Invalid Meals for London was a fore-runner of 'Meals-on-Wheels'. It was founded in 1910 as Invalid Kitchens of London, with the aim to supply nourishing food to persons suffering or emerging from illness who were unable to provide for themselves. The first 5 kitchens were located in Southwark, Bermondsey, Hoxton, Stepney and Victoria Docks; during the First World War the number of kitchens was increased.

As a voluntary body the organisation received a grant and support from the London County Council. In 1961 it was taken over by the LCC who continued the work of supplying meals to the elderly and invalids.

The 1834 Poor Law Act led to improvements in the arrangements made for the education of pauper children. Poor Law Unions, and parishes regulated by local acts, were persuaded to establish schools and to appoint schoolmasters. The policy of separating the children from their parents (who were generally considered to be a bad influence on their children) and sending them, if possible, to the country was continued and in 1866 several Middlesex metropolitan authorities were sending children to schools outside London. The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1844 made possible a further development in this field which was of significance for the metropolitan area. Unions and parishes were empowered to unite and to form a School District which then set up a large separate school for the education of all the indoor pauper children of the constituents of the district. These were usually industrial schools where both boys and girls were taught the basics of a useful trade which, it was hoped, would provide them with better prospects in future.

Kensington and Chelsea School District was founded in 1876, comprising the Poor Law Unions of Kensington and Chelsea. The School District decided not to construct a large district school, instead establishing a cottage homes development at Banstead in Surrey. This took the form of small houses reminiscent of a family home, with separate school buildings, workshops and recreation facilities. A branch school, Marlesford Lodge, was constructed in Hammersmith. This acted as a 'filter school', preventing unsuitable children from being transferred to the Banstead Homes, such those with parents in custody, those with infectious ailments and those under the age of 4.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

London's first civic authority was that of the City of London. The origin of the Corporation of London is unknown, but the initial rights and privileges of the City rested upon a Charter granted by William the Conqueror. The term 'London' was gradually applied to the area adjoining the ancient city, and as a consequence of the need for a central authority to deal with the local government of this ever growing area the term 'metropolis' was defined, and an authority, the Metropolitan Board of Works, was set up in 1855 to deal with many of the services common to the whole area. In 1888, as a result of the Local Government Act, the area of the City and the metropolis was constituted the 'Administrative County of London' and the London County Council was established as the central authority. The 'Administrative County' consisted of the City of London and the twenty-eight metropolitan boroughs; while a 'County of London' was also constituted, excluding the City of London, for certain ceremonial and judicial purposes; for example, a Lord Lieutenant was appointed, while in the City this function is carried out by the Lord Mayor. Those parts of Middlesex, Kent and Surrey that were part of the Metropolis were taken out of those counties and added to the County of London.

The City of London and the twenty-eight borough councils were independent of the County Council, and had complete jurisdiction over certain fields within their individual areas. There were many case in which cooperation and consultation took place between the various London local government authorities. The principal instances in which the County Council had control over the Metropolitan Borough Councils were: sanctioning the raising of loans for housing, building, land purchase, street improvements and drainage; making byelaws (although the borough councils had to enforce the byelaws); approval of sewer plans; taking steps if the borough council was not fulfilling statutory obligations; and control over grants. Other bodies which the County Council worked alongside included the Metropolitan Police, the London Passenger Transport Board, the Port of London Authority, the Thames Conservancy Board, the London and Home Counties Joint Electricity Authority and the Metropolitan Water Board.

The London County Council consisted of persons directly elected, every third year, by the local government electorate in the Administrative County, and of aldermen elected by the Council itself. The aldermen retained their seats for six years. The powers and duties of the Council were:

(i) those powers transferred from the Metropolitan Board of Works, including drainage, street improvements, Thames flood prevention, street naming and numbering, bridges and tunnels, fire brigade, slum clearance, supervision of building works and parks and open spaces;

(ii) those powers involved in administrative business transferred from the Justices, including issuing licences for music, dancing and stage plays, mental hospitals, reformatory and industrial schools, county bridges, coroners, weights and measures;

(iii) education, including those powers transferred from the London School Board in 1904;

(iv) those powers transferred from the London Poor Law Authorities in 1930, including the 25 Boards of Guardians, the Metropolitan Asylums Board, Boards of School District Managers and the Central Unemployed Body;

(v) those powers conferred directly by Parliament at various times, including ambulances, mental deficiency, protection of children, licences for cinemas, boxing and wrestling, licences for motor cars, housing, town planning, health services, welfare of the blind, employment agencies and massage establishments.

The first meetings of the Council were held at both the Guildhall in the City and the offices of the Metropolitan Board of Works at Spring Gardens, Trafalgar Square. New headquarters were planned at County Hall. This was situated on the southern bank of the Thames close to Westminster Bridge. The foundations were begun in 1909, the foundation stone was laid in 1912 and the building was formally opened in 1922. In 1937 the administrative staff of the Council numbered 6,000, while the total staff included 18,150 teachers, 2,000 fire fighters, 22,000 hospital staff, 3,000 housing estates workers, 8,200 mental hospital staff, 1,450 park staff, 3,100 public assistance staff and 1,000 main drainage service staff.

In 1957 the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London was set up under the chairmanship of Sir Edwin Herbert. Their terms of reference were 'to examine the present system and working of local government in the area' and 'to recommend whether any, and if so what, changes in the local government structure and the distribution of local authority functions in the area, or any part of it, would better secure effective and convenient local government'. After nearly three years consideration of these issues the Commission reported in 1960, recommending a radical reorganisation of London's local government. All existing local authorities except the City of London Corporation were to be abolished, a council for Greater London was to be established, and new boroughs were to be created, each within a population range of 100,000 to 250,000. The councils of these new boroughs were to be the primary units of local government and to have the most normal local government functions, including housing, personal health, welfare and children's services, environmental health, roads other than main roads, libraries and functions in relation to education and planning. The council for Greater London was to have certain functions of education and planning, and be the authority for traffic, main roads, refuse disposal, fire and ambulance services; as well as having supplementary powers for housing, parks, entertainments, sewerage and land drainage. When the Bill for the Local Government Act, 1963, based on the Royal Commission report, was introduced into Parliament it was met with considerable opposition. Some amendments were passed, but the Bill was passed into law without major alterations. An Inner London Education Authority was provided so that education could continue to be handled on a wider county level. Thirty-two new London borough councils were established. The first elections for the Greater London Council were held on 9 April 1964. The LCC was to remain in being side by side with the new authority to enable a smooth transfer, until 1 April 1965 on which date the old authority ceased to exist.

The Royal Commission commented that 'nobody studying London Government can fail to be deeply impressed with the achievements of the London County Council. It has given the Administrative County of London a strong and able form of government which makes its standing very high among the municipal governments of the world'.

In 1889 the Architect to the Metropolitan Board of Works was transferred to the newly formed London County Council, as the responsibilities of the MBW were being transferred to the LCC. This was later confirmed by the London Building Act 1894, in which the London County Council was given power to appoint a "superintending architect of metropolitan buildings" to oversee the enforcement of regulations outlined in the Act. Actual enforcement would be done by the District Surveyors, who had to make a monthly return to the Council reporting on any new buildings and any infringement of the Act.

The role of the Architect soon developed as the range of structures constructed under order of the Council grew. By 1909 there were 13 Committees dealing with construction works, and 35 sub-committees. The work included the construction of housing (under the Housing of the Working Classes Act 1890), including slum clearance; construction of buildings in connection with the introduction of electricity; construction of educational buildings, from nursery schools to colleges; construction of hospitals and institutions; construction of fire brigade stations; street and road improvements; maintenance and construction of bridges; public parks; Weights and Measures Stations and Gas Meter Testing Stations. The Architect was responsible for overseeing the design and construction of all these buildings.

The Chief Engineer was responsible for overseeing construction and maintenance of LCC buildings, bridges, roads and tunnels. He was also responsible for flood prevention measures, drainage and sewerage and other matters of public health.

The maintenance and improvement of traffic facilities for crossing the Thames, whether by bridge, tunnel or ferry, was an important part of the work of the LCC. It was responsible for ten of the Thames bridges: Albert Bridge, Battersea Bridge, Chelsea Bridge, Hammersmith Bridge, Lambeth Bridge, Putney Bridge, Vauxhall Bridge, Wandsworth Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and Westminster Bridge. In addition the Council maintained about 50 other bridges, over rivers, streams, canals, railways and roads. These included the bridge over Deptford Creek, Barking Road Bridge and Highgate Archway. The pedestrian tunnels at Greenwich and Woolwich, and the vehicular tunnels at Rotherhithe and Blackwall were also maintained by the Council, as was the Woolwich Ferry. In addition, it was responsible for over 6 miles of river embankment walls, Greenwich Pier and pipe subways allowing access to mains without having to excavate the road surface.

In addition, the LCC was the central authority for street improvements in London, coordinating the work of the Borough Councils because important traffic routes usually run though more than one of the Boroughs. The most important part of this work involved considering improvements to allow greater traffic flow, particularly as the number of cars on the roads increased.

The London County Council Chief Engineer and County Surveyors:

1889: J Gordon and C Dunscombe

1890 Sir Alexander Binnie

1901 Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice

1913 Sir George Humphreys

1930 Sir Peirson Frank

1946 Sir Joseph Rawlinson

1962 FM Fuller

The London County Council delegated administrative matters to its committees, both standing committees and a number of special committees appointed for specific purposes. The committees met frequently, either weekly or fortnightly, while the Council met weekly. Committee reports requiring decision by the Council were dealt with weekly, and each committee reported to the Council every 6 months. In addition the Council also had representatives on many bodies such as industrial councils, school governing bodies and charitable foundations. For the purpose of carrying out the services of the Council, the staff is organised into departments, each of which is under the responsibility of a chief officer.

The Clerk of the Council was the chief administrative officer of the Council, acting as the clerk of the Council itself as well as the various committees. Additional important duties of the Clerk's Department included the maintenance of the library for members of the Council at City Hall, the preparation of general publications and the responsibility for general work including records.

The General Strike of 1926 was the largest industrial dispute in Britain's history. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) called the strike to prevent wage reduction and worsening conditions for coal miners. It took place over nine days, from 4 May to 12 May 1926.

The London County Council delegated administrative matters to its committees, both standing committees and a number of special committees appointed for specific purposes. The committees met frequently, either weekly or fortnightly, while the Council met weekly. Committee reports requiring decision by the Council were dealt with weekly, and each committee reported to the Council every 6 months. In addition the Council also had representatives on many bodies such as industrial councils, school governing bodies and charitable foundations. For the purpose of carrying out the services of the Council, the staff is organised into departments, each of which is under the responsibility of a chief officer.

The Clerk of the Council was the chief administrative officer of the Council, acting as the clerk of the Council itself as well as the various committees. Additional important duties of the Clerk's Department included the maintenance of the library for members of the Council at City Hall, the preparation of general publications and the responsibility for general work including records.

Mrs Basil Holmes, apparently inspired by Rocque's plan of London (1742-1745), noticed how many burial grounds and churchyards were marked upon it which no longer seemed to exist. Her early investigations were printed in 1884 in the First Annual Report of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. In 1894 the LCC instructed its Parks Committee to make a return of all the burial grounds existing in the County of London, with their size, ownership and condition. Mrs Holmes offered to undertake the work and began in February 1895. By June she had submitted a report accompanied by 60 sheets of 25": 1 mile Ordnance Survey plans, however only 56 of these have survived. She found 362 burial grounds in all, 41 of which were in her day still in use and 90 had become public gardens and playgrounds.

The Education Committee of the London County Council consisted of 35 members of the Council and a number of co-opted members who were invited to serve on the Committee because of their experience in the educational field. The Committee was divided into smaller sub-committees, each with a specific focus, for example the Further Education Sub-Committee concerned itself with the policy and management of all after school-age education. The Education Officer and his staff carried out the decisions of the Committees and acted as their advisers.

To avoid over-centralisation, London was divided into 9 divisions, each consisting of about three of the metropolitan boroughs. Every division had a local office, the headquarters of the divisional officer who was the representative of the Education Officer. School inspectors were also based at the divisional office.

In 1919, the Standing Joint Committee on Scales of Salary for Teachers in Public Elementary Schools was established at the request of the President of the Board of Education 'to secure the orderly and progressive solution of the salary question in Public Elementary Schools on a national basis and its correlation with a solution of the salary problem in Secondary Schools'. Similar committees were subsequently established concerned with the salaries of teachers in secondary schools and those teaching in technical schools. The first Burnham report of 1919 established a provisional minimum scale for elementary school teachers payable from January 1920. This initial stage was followed in 1921 by four standard scales of salary allocated by areas, which were to operate for four years. Negotiations for scales of salary to operate following the four year settlement ended in disagreement and was finally decided by arbitration, Lord Burnham acting as arbiter. Four new scales were formulated as well as some re-allocation scales for individual authorities.

The committees became known as the Burnham Committees after the chairman Lord Burnham, and following his death in 1933 the title was officially adopted.

The Children's Service of the London County Council (LCC) was responsible for 4 groups of deprived children: those placed in care by their parents, those brought before juvenile court and then sent to approved schools or placed in care, those being adopted and those with foster parents. In 1929 the Local Government Act gave the functions of the poor law authorities to the LCC. The Council began to develop child services, but the Second World War interrupted this process. After the war a conception of a new form of organisation was beginning to emerge.

The 1948 Children's Act vested central control of children's services in the Home Secretary; the county councils were made children's authorities, and each was required to appoint a children's Committee and a children's officer. The LCC set up its Children's Committee in December 1948. The first children's officer was appointed in April 1949. The LCC had the duty to receive into care any child in the County, under the age of 17, whose parents or guardians were temporarily or permanently prevented from providing for them properly. Having received a child into care the Council was required to "further his best interests and afford him opportunity for the proper development of his character and abilities".

The Avondale Project was a pilot scheme to attach an adviser or "counsellor" to schools to advise pupils in their last year of attendance and to maintain contact with them during their first years at work. It commenced at Avondale Park School, Notting Hill before being extended to other schools.

The Legal and Parliamentary Department of the London County Council monitored bills before Parliament and considered their ramifications for the work of the LCC. They also prepared petitions opposing or supporting bills and put forward proposals for legislation to be put forward by the LCC.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

Although the animal population of the county dwindled to a very small figure as the urbanisation and growth of London continued, it continued to be necessary for the Council to employ two lay inspectors of animal diseases, who were principally concerned with the very large number of animals coming into London by road and rail, mostly for slaughter. Circuses and other entertainments in London were regularly visited when performing animals were exhibited. This inspection was to ensure that the exhibition and training of the animals was not accompanied by cruelty. The Council arranged for veterinary surgeons to visit riding stables in London annually to report on the conditions of the horses kept. In 1963 there were nineteen riding establishments in London and a total of about 140 horses let out on hire.

The term 'public control', as used in the Council's organisation, embraced various services of a regulative character, mostly exercised by some form of licensing control. Largely unobtrusive in their operation, and producing no spectacular effects, they were all carried out in the public interest and, in some respects, for the protection of the public or certain sections of it.

Their administration was conditioned by trends in the legislative provisions under which they were operated, by shifts and changes in social usages, and by the development of the Council's policies towards the matters to which they related.

War charities and charities for the blind were not allowed to make any appeal to the public for donations or subscriptions in money or in kind unless they were registered by a local authority. The requirement to register was extended in 1948 to all charities for disabled persons. Registered charities had to comply with certain statutory provisions designed to promote good management.

In 1963 there were registered with the Council 87 war charities and 103 charities for the disabled. Some were small charities operating in a particular district of London, others were large national organisations whose administrative offices happened to be in London.

The London County Council assumed responsibility for the general hospitals formerly maintained by the Boards of Guardians and the Special hospitals and institutions formerly maintained by the Metropolitan Asylums Board with effect from 1 April 1930. These hospitals needed much work to modernise, equip and staff them adequately. The Council made great improvements in hospital accommodation and staffing standards. The nursing service had been improved, medical schools established, and a laboratory service built up. These functions were transferred to the Regional Hospitals Boards and Hospital Management Committees under the National Health Service Acts with effect from 5 July 1948. The Council assisted by providing services of supply, engineering and finance for several months after the transfer, until Council officers could be absorbed into the new organisation.

There was also a transfer from the City and the boroughs to the London County Council of health services including maternity and child welfare, health visiting, home help, vaccination and immunisation, and the care of those with tuberculosis. The Council took over 4,843 lay and professional staff, 70 freehold premises, and 252 tenancy arrangements, as well as adding new services such as home nursing, the provision of health centres and the expansion of the ambulance service. The County was divided into nine divisions, each with a divisional health committee, a divisional medical officer, a nursing officer and an administrative officer.

Until the Mental Health Act, 1959, the Council's mental health services were administered centrally from hte County Hall. From October 1960 responsibility for the day-to-day operation of mental health services was delegated to the nine divisional health committees, while other aspects of the work remained under direct central control, for example the provision of hostels and day centres, the medical examination of mentally subnormal persons, the obtaining of hospital beds for them, and the giving of medical evidence to courts and tribunals. Administration of training centres passed to the divisional medical officers; but planning, the formulation of policy, general control over admissions, the allocation of industrial work to centres, and the arranging of transport and home teaching were retained as central responsibilities.

The Common Lodging Houses Act 1851 required common lodging houses in London to be registered with the Metropolitan Police and contained many provisions for their regulation. In 1894, the registration powers of the police were transferred to the London County Council by a provisional order of the Local Government Board. The registers maintained by the Metropolitan Police between 1851 and 1894 were subsequently transferred to the Council. The Merchant Shipping Act 1894 gave permissive powers to local authorities to regulate seamen's lodging houses and by-laws made by the Council in 1901 prescribed general standards in this regard and certain additional requirements for houses for which a licence was granted. Licensing was, however, optional and few keepers sought a licence. In 1909 the Council obtained powers requiring the compulsory licensing of seamen's lodging houses which came into effect the following year. In 1933 the Council's functions in relation to both common lodging houses and seamen's lodging houses were transferred to the metropolitan borough councils.

In 1889, the London County Council took over from the Justices the function of licensing slaughterhouses, knackers yards and cowhouses under Section 93 of the Metropolis Management Amendment Act, 1862. In 1933, these powers were transferred to the Metropolitan Borough Councils.

The Infant Life Protection Act 1872 was an early attempt to make some provisions for the provision of neglected or 'deprived' children outside the ambit of the Poor Law or the Judiciary. It required foster-parents receiving more than one infant for maintenance in return for money payments to register their houses with the local authority (in London, the Metropolitan Board of Works). The duty of keeping a register passed to the London County Council in 1889 and the Infant Life Protection Act 1897 made it the duty of the authority to enforce the Act. Relatives and guardians of children, hospitals, convalescent homes or institutions 'established for the protection and care of infants and conducted in good faith' were exempted from the provisions of both Acts as well as persons maintaining children under any Act for the relief of the poor. So far as the Council was concerned, the Public Control Committee was responsible for the administration of the Acts and the register was kept by, and the inspectors, served in the Public Control Department. This remained the case after the passing of the Children Act 1908, which extended control to one-child foster houses but, from 1 April 1917, the work was transferred to the Public Health Committee and Department. In the early nineteen-twenties, as an experiment, the work was undertaken by the Lewisham and Greenwich Borough Councils in their areas but, after consultation with the Metropolitan Boroughs Standing Joint Committee, it was decided not to extend or continue the delegation. By the order of the Secretary of State, however, the metropolitan boroughs were later charged with these functions as from 1 April 1933 and the transfer of responsibility was confirmed by the Public Health (London) Act, 1936.

Part IV of the London County Council (General Powers) Act 1915 required lying-in homes to be registered with the Council and gave the Council powers of inspection and regulation which were extended by Part IV of the London County Council (General Powers) Act 1921. The Nursing Homes Registration Act 1927 extended control to nursing homes, as well as lying-in homes. These functions were transferred to the London Boroughs on 1st April 1965.

These plans were presented to the Council and its Committees, but were too large to be included in the bound volumes of presented papers. Instead they were kept separately in rolls which were placed in drums labelled with the name of the Committee to which they were presented. Index cards were prepared listing the outsize plans presented to each Committee with a reference to the drum in which they were stored. In the present list reference numbers have been assigned to each roll of plans. Otherwise this list, with the exception of the plans presented to the Bridges Committee, is in most cases merely a copy of the index cards which have been checked against the original rolls of plans. These plans must always be related to the minutes with which they are associated. They are not necessarily the finished approved drawings of any project, but are rather the drawings before the Committee at a specific meeting.

Following the heavy enemy air raids of September 1940, the Council set up the Londoners' Meals Service as a separate Department with its own Chief Officer to control emergency feeding centres and to provide school meals for non-evacuated children in need of them. As the scale of air raid attacks diminished, the service developed into a network of restaurants and the Civic Restaurants Act, 1947 empowered local authorities to continue the provision of this service under normal peace-time conditions provided it was not run at a loss. In 1948, the Department was renamed Restaurants and Catering Deptartment.

From 1941, it had assumed the additional responsibility for canteens at ambulance and civil defence establishments and it also later undertook the catering arrangements at County Hall and other large offices of the Council.

On 1 June 1954, the Council decided to transfer to the Chief Officer of Supplies the responsibility for civic restaurants and the Restaurants and Catering Department was re-designated the School Meals and Catering Department, with responsibility solely for school meals and catering at staff restaurants in Council offices, etc. On 19 October 1954 the Council was informed that, as its civic restaurant service was not paying its way, the Minister of Food had decided upon its discontinuance and all such restaurants were closed by the end of February 1955.

From the end of 1959, the Department took over additionally the work and assets of the Invalid Meals for London organisation (formerly Invalid Kitchens of London), the company being finally dissolved in November 1964.

In 1948 the poor law, after an existence of almost 350 years, was abolished. Those among the poor whose financial needs were not met by national insurance were given material help by the National Assistance Board. Local authorities were delegated some responsibilities by the Board, for example the provision of reception centres for the temporary accommodation of vagrants and persons without a settled way of life. In addition the National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to make residential provision for the blind, disabled, elderly and infirm. However, under the Act these services were not to be provided free as a kind of official charity. Persons receiving help were to pay according to their means, even if their means were no more than a retirement pension. The Council's responsibilities in all this related therefore to the provision of establishments of various kinds. At the end of the Second World War there were public assistance institutions (formerly the old workhouses), casual wards (where tramps were put up for the night), three lodging houses, and, left over from wartime activities, the rest centres and rest homes. The Welfare Department was responsible for the organisation and management of the various residential homes, temporary homes and institutions for the assistance of the poor.

In 1948 the poor law, after an existence of almost 350 years, was abolished. Those among the poor whose financial needs were not met by national insurance were given material help by the National Assistance Board. Local authorities were delegated some responsibilities by the Board, for example the provision of reception centres for the temporary accommodation of vagrants and persons without a settled way of life. In addition the National Assistance Act, 1948, required local authorities to make residential provision for the blind, disabled, elderly and infirm. However, under the Act these services were not to be provided free as a kind of official charity. Persons receiving help were to pay according to their means, even if their means were no more than a retirement pension. The Council's responsibilities in all this related therefore to the provision of establishments of various kinds. At the end of the Second World War there were public assistance institutions (formerly the old workhouses), casual wards (where tramps were put up for the night), three lodging houses, and, left over from wartime activities, the rest centres and rest homes. The Welfare Department was responsible for the organisation and management of the various residential homes, temporary homes and institutions for the assistance of the poor.

The Council's welfare service for the blind included the keeping of a register of all blind persons, home-visiting, social and handicraft clubs, the teaching of handicrafts and the sale of the finished products. In 1942 a placement service was introduced finding employment for blind persons. In 1950 a non-residential rehabilitation course for the newly blind was started to help them to re-establish themselves and overcome their disability. This proved so successful that in 1959 it was extended into a full-time three month course.

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.

The Lewisham Poor Law Union was formed in 1836, constituting parishes of Lewisham, Charlton, Eltham, Mottingham, Kidbrooke, Lee and Plumstead. In 1868 the parishes of Charlton, Kidbrooke and Plumstead separated to become part of the Woolwich Union; in 1887 the parish of Mottingham separated to become part of the Bromley Union; and in 1905 the parishes of Lee and Lewisham united and became known as the Parish of Lewisham. The Union at first decided to continue using the existing workhouse on Lewisham High Street, which had been constructed in 1817. The workhouse was expanded over time as adjacent land was acquired and later became Lewisham Hospital.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

The Dalston Methodist Church, Mayfield Road, was built by Wesleyan Methodists in 1865 and belonged to the Islington circuit. It transferred to the Mildmay Park circuit in 1899, and then transferred to the London Central Mission Circuit in 1905. The Minister's wife was killed when a flying bomb seriously damaged the manse [minister's residence] and damaged the church in January 1945. A new church was built on the same site in 1960, but was known as Richmond Road Church. The Church transferred to London Mission (Hackney and Clapton) Circuit in 1960.

Holly Park Methodist Church, Crouch Hill, was founded in 1875, although a permament hall was not built until 1882. The Weston Park Mission was begun by the Holly Park Church although it was later taken over by the Middle Lane Church. The Holly Park Methodist Church Hall is now used by the Holly Park Montessori School.

Muswell Hill Wesleyan Methodist church occupied a wooden building at the foot of the Avenue, Wood Green, in 1898 and moved to the corner of Colney Hatch Lane and Alexandra Park Road in 1899. The building is of red brick with stone dressings, in a Gothic style, and has a corner turret terminating in an octagonal lantern.

Middle Lane Wesleyan Methodist church was founded in 1873, with help from the new Highgate circuit. The iron Trinity church in Hornsey High Street was temporarily used until the opening of a brick building at the corner of Middle Lane and Lightfoot Road in 1886. It seated 1,000 but was demolished in 1975 and replaced by one of red brick and concrete, seating 200.

Cedars Lodge was an old people's home administered by the London County Council Welfare Department, and situated in Cedars Road, Clapham. It was transferred to Southwark Council in 1965 and closed down in 1969.

Lower Richmond Road runs from Putney High Street in Putney to Rocks Lane in Barnes Common.

Under the London Government Act of 1899 the Civil Parish of Putney became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth. A metropolitan borough was a subdivision of the London County Council, which was itself further divided into civil parishes. A civil parish was responsible for certain local administrative functions such as rating and local amenities.

The first organised congregationalism in the area covered by the Southern Province (the area south of the River Thames) was the Surrey Mission formed in 1797 by James Bowden of Tooting, established to organise the visits of ministers to villages with the object of teaching the Gospel. The mission was not however purely congregational and increasingly there was a need for the development of organised congregationalism in its own right.

The Surrey Congregational Union was formed in 1863 'to promote the union and efficiency of the churches, and the spread of evangelical religion, to advance the principals of Nonconformity and to uphold and enlarge civil and religious freedom'. Main work was aiding smaller churches and fostering new congregations in the districts. It included the London geographical area of the ancient county of Surrey up to River Thames. With the extension of the London Congregational Union, churches belonged to both Unions until 1946 when a line of demarcation was agreed and the London Union was extended south. The Surrey Union formed part of the Southern Province of the Congregational Union of England and Wales.

In 1972 the United Reformed Church (URC) was formed following the union of the Presbyterian Church of England and the Congregational Church of England and Wales. The URC is divided into 13 Synods or Provinces and throughout England, Scotland and Wales there are around 1750 URC congregations served by some 1100 ministers, both men and women. The Church is governed through democratic Councils. The Synods give practical help to churches in legal and property matters, encourage training, discuss matters of faith and policy and provide links to Assembly. Each has a Moderator who is a minister with a pastoral and leadership ministry within each Synod Province. The Southern Province Trust was formed in 1981. In 2003, the Registered Office for the Southern Province was based at the Synod Office, Croydon and covered 7 districts and 181 churches.