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Mogden Isolation Hospital, Mogden Lane, Isleworth was opened in 1898 by the Borough of Richmond (Surrey) and Heston and Isleworth Urban District Joint Isolation Hospital Committee for the treatment of patients suffering from scarlet fever, diphtheria, enteric fever, measles, and other infectious diseases. It partially replaced Dockwell Isolation Hospital, situated near Cranford, but in the parish of Heston, which was retained for the treatment of smallpox cases. In between smallpox epidemics the hospital stood empty for several years at a time. When necessary, staff were allocated to the hospital from Mogden.

By the late 1920s the Joint Isolation Hospital Committee had to decide whether to replace the buildings at Dockwell Hospital or to make alternative arrangements for the treatment of smallpox patients. The "old building" next to the Administration Block was sold by auction in 1921. In 1926 Richmond Council reached agreement with the Surrey Smallpox Hospital Committee for the reception and treatment of smallpox patients from Richmond at Surrey Smallpox Hospital, Clandon. Though Dockwell Isolation Hospital was brought into use in 1928 to admit ten smallpox cases and in 1930 for the treatment of diphtheria patients, it had finally closed by 1935.

In that year the Joint Isolation Hospital Committee ceased to exist. On 1 April 1935 the South Middlesex and Richmond Joint Hospital Board took over control of Mogden, Twickenham and Hampton Isolation Hospitals. Hampton Isolation Hospital closed in July 1935. After a further reorganisation in September 1935, all acute cases except certain less common infections were admitted to Mogden Hospital. Twickenham Isolation Hospital was used only for a few enteric fever cases, some rarer infections, and "clean" scarlet fever cases. Twickenham Hospital closed in 1938 on the completion of substantial additional buildings at Mogden Hospital, which was renamed the South Middlesex Fever Hospital.

A report by visitors from King Edward's Hospital Fund for London in 1953 described the new South Middlesex Hospital "This was built between the wars, apparently regardless of cost, by a joint board consisting of the Boroughs of Richmond, Twickenham and Heston and Isleworth. There are four wards, each being separate single storey blocks, two in horse shoe form facing south containing 24 beds in cubicles. The other two are straight wards, one cubicled and the other open." An operating theatre was provided adjoining one of the horse shoe wards. The main kitchen "is enormous and could cook for 1,000. The nurses' home is large and magnificent, but lacks something in homeliness" (ref. A/KE/735/48). A laboratory and administrative block were also built in 1938 and work was set in hand to modernise the old wards.

On the outbreak of war in 1939, the large pavilion wards were taken over by the Emergency Medical Service. Extra beds were provided by the Ministry of Health making a total of 227 beds available for casualties. 96 beds in the two cubicle blocks remained in use for infectious diseases. Extra nursing, clerical and domestic staff were transferred from Westminster Hospital and other London hospitals. A team of medical staff from St George's Hospital and the West London Hospital took up residence at the South Middlesex Hospital. In October 1940 26 beds in Ward VII were set aside for the surgical treatment of gynaecological cases. This work was expanded in 1941, so that in 1942 a total of 302 gynaecological patients were admitted. For case notes for gynaecological cases transferred to the South Middlesex Hospital from Chelsea Hospital for Women 1940-1945 see H27/CW/B3/1-5. 1947 saw a substantial increase in admissions of patients suffering from infectious diseases caused by epidemics of measles and polio and the admission of patients from Acton.

In 1948 South Middlesex Hospital became part of the National Health Service as one of the South West Middlesex group of hospitals of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. In 1953 the King's Fund visitors found that the hospital had 144 beds of which 83 were in use. "Two of the wards are used for fevers, one is closed and the fourth open ward is the surgical ward used by Dr Galloway from the West Middlesex Hospital" (ref. A/KE/735/48). In 1955 one of the smaller buildings was converted into an ophthalmic department with its own operating theatre to provide a regional ophthalmic unit. By 1973 the South Middlesex Hospital was described as mainly acute. On the reorganisation of the National Health Service in 1974 it was transferred to the Hounslow Health District of Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Area Health Authority (Teaching). After 1982 it became the responsibility of Hounslow and Spelthorne Health Authority. The hospital closed around 1991.

From 1845 to 1899 the parish of Hammersmith formed part of Fulham Poor Law Union. In 1899 a separate Board of Guardians was constituted for Hammersmith, which started to plan the construction of their own workhouse and infirmary on a site bordering Wormwood Scrubs Prison. Both opened in 1905. The infirmary was situated on the southern part of the site fronting on to Du Cane Road. The workhouse was built behind the infirmary to the north. In 1916 both the hospital and the workhouse (known as Hammersmith Institution) were taken over by the War Office for the treatment of military casualties. From February 1916 the combined hospital and institution was known as the Military Orthopaedic Hospital, Shepherd's Bush. It had beds for 800 patients and another 200 were billeted locally. In 1919 the hospital was transferred to the Ministry of Pensions, who ran it until April 1925 when it was returned to Hammersmith Board of Guardians.

Under the terms of the 1929 Local Government Act, Hammersmith Hospital and Institution were in 1930 taken over by the London County Council, who progressively merged the hospital and institution and appropriated them both for the treatment of the sick between 1930 and 1935, thus removing them from the Poor Law. With the support of the London County Council, the Royal Postgraduate Medical School opened at Hammersmith Hospital in 1935 as a School of the University of London.

In 1948 Hammersmith Hospital became part of the National Health Service as a teaching hospital with its own Board of Governors, who were also responsible for Saint Mark's Hospital and the West London Hospital. On the reorganisation of the NHS in 1974 it became part of the North Hammersmith Health District (Teaching) of Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Area Health Authority. In 1982 Hammersmith Hospital was constituted a Special Health Authority and in 1984 it combined with Queen Charlotte's Hospital to become Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte's Special Health Authority. In 1990 the Hospital became part of the Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust.

Acton Cottage Hospital, the gift of J Passmore Edwards, was built on land in Gunnersbury Lane given by Lord Rothschild, to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. It opened on 4 May 1898 with 12 beds. By 1902 the "Passmore Edwards' Acton Cottage Hospital, Nursing Institution and Invalid Kitchen" included a rapidly expanding outpatients department, a district nursing service, a provident dispensary, and an invalid kitchen. The hospital was extended in 1904 and 1909 to provide 30 beds for in-patients, a children's ward and operating theatre. It was financed by voluntary donations, annual subscriptions, fetes, carnivals and other fundraising events. According to the rules in 1902 the "Hospital shall be open to the poor resident, or employed by residents in Acton, free of charge; but if there be a vacant bed, needy residents may be admitted for operations or accidents as paying patients, at a minimum fee of just over two pounds per week. Not more than one paying patient shall at any time be in the Hospital." Cases of mental disorder, infectious diseases, incurable illness, advanced pulmonary disease and childbirth were not admitted. Except in urgent cases prospective patients had to produce a letter of recommendation and a medical certificate.

By 1915 the name of the hospital had been changed to Acton Hospital. Many military patients were admitted during the First World War. In 1916 the hospital agreed with Acton District Council that it would provide an antenatal clinic, an infant dispensary, and one bed for the treatment of complicated cases of pregnancy; In 1923 a substantial enlargement of the hospital was completed. The annual report for that year proclaimed that "Acton is now in possession of one of the finest General suburban Hospitals, with an excellent outpatients department and a resident Medical officer, a staff of fully qualified Nurses, an X-ray Apparatus, and other accessories which go to the efficient equipment of a General Hospital." Wards were provided for the treatment of paying patients who were unable to afford the higher charges demanded by nursing homes. Further extensions by 1928 brought the total bed complement up to 62 and saw the opening of nurses' hostel; In 1948 Acton Hospital became part of the National Health Service as an 84 bed general hospital, with a large and well-equipped X-ray department and a large physiotherapy department. It was administered by the Central Middlesex Group Hospital Management Committee of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. On the reorganisation of the NHS in 1974 it was transferred to the North Hammersmith District (Teaching) of Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow Area Health Authority (Teaching). A report in 1975 (H40/AC/A/06/008) concluded that Acton Hospital could not undertake the functions of a district general hospital, and recommended that it should become a community hospital.

Since 1980 it has been used for the treatment of geriatric patients requiring long term care and rehabilitation. On the further reorganisation of the NHS in 1982 Acton Hospital became the responsibility of Hammersmith Special Health Authority (from 1985 Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte's Special Health Authority). In 1990 the former casualty department was redeveloped to house "The Gunnersbury Unit" an elderly mentally ill assessment unit. In 1994 Acton Hospital became part of the Hammersmith Hospitals Trust together with Hammersmith Hospital, Charing Cross Hospital and Queen Charlottes and Chelsea Hospital.

The hospital opened on 1st December 1858 at 32 Soho Square as the Dental Hospital of London. The origins of all regulated and scientific dental practices can be found in the inception of the Dental Hospital and School. Before 1858 the dental profession had no regulation and anyone could set themselves up as a dental practitioner. This led to poor standards and a realisation of the need for proper training and an official qualification for dental practitioners. The Dental Hospital was established to achieve this and gained the backing of the Royal College of Surgeons to approve diplomas. The Dental School opened on 1st October 1859 to provide regulated, structured training for students in dental medicine. The hospital emphasised the need to regard dental medicine as connected to all other branches of medicine and to look at the wider picture when treating patients.

In 1911 the Royal Dental Hospital of London School of Dental Surgery became a school of the University of London and as well as their own Licence in Dental Surgery a University Degree in Dental Surgery was offered. This development allowed the Dental School to become involved in many of the developments in dental surgery that occurred in the early twentieth century. However the burden of debt did also mean that the School and Hospital did not develop as rapidly during this period as some of their competitors. The technological development of the Hospital was slowed down by the financial pressures and by the internal politics of the teaching and practice of Dental Surgery at this time.

The establishment of the NHS in 1948 saw the Royal Dental Hospital grouped with the Saint George's Hospital and Medical School, located on Hyde Park Corner and the Atkinson Morley in Wimbledon as the Saint George's Hospital Teaching Group. The School of Dental Surgery became a self-governing body, affiliated with Saint George's Hospital Medical School. The problems over space were still an issue. In 1957 plans to renovate the interior of the hospital to provide more space and better equipment were approved and the Hospital and School accomodation was reorganised, the School moved most of its non-clinical facilities into the newly acquired Ciro Club on Orange Street.

During the 1960's and 1970's the big issue was the transfer of the Dental School to Tooting with Saint George's Hospital and Medical School, which were to be rebuilt there. The Royal Dental Hospital was not at first happy with this and tried to delay the move, which was also held up by the Ministry of Health due to the finacial situation of the time. However Saint George's finally moved in 1975 and in 1976 the School of Dental Surgery's pre-clinical departments moved to Tooting. It was decided that the dental service required in Tooting was not that offered by the Royal Dental Hospital and the 1980's were spent preparing of the closure of the Hospital. The Dental School was amalgamated with the United Medical School of Guy's and Saint Thomas' Hospitals and the remaining dental services transferred to Tooting. The Royal Dental Hospital closed in 1985 and the site in Leicester Square was developed as the Hampshire Hotel.

Saint Alfege's hospital was established as the Greenwich Union Workhouse Infirmary. The Greenwich and Deptford Union Workhouse was built on a four-acre site on the south side of the Woolwich road. The complex was designed to house a total of 650 fit and 200 sick paupers but by 1851 the average weekly number of inmates had increased to over 1,000. As the numbers of poor in need of medical attention increased it became necessary to add an infirmary to the workhouse. The Board of Guardians added a new 400-bed infirmary block, the foundation stone was laid in 1874, and the Infirmary opened in 1876.

By 1885 two new buildings for the chronically sick had been started and in 1889 a further two new ward blocks with provision for 250 beds were approved. Conditions in the infirmary were spartan and there was no operating theatre or table. In 1898 the infirmary was approved as a Training School for Nurses, taking some 40 - 50 trainees. The plans of the Greenwich and Deptford Union Workhouse and Infirmary were presented at the Great Paris Exhibition of 1900 as a demonstration of what was being done in Britain for relief of the poor.

Between 1918 and 1929 gradual improvements were made to conditions in the infirmary - walls were plastered, electric lighting and central heating installed and x-ray and massage departments set up. In 1927 The Woodlands Nurses' Residence was opened by Princess Mary, Viscountess Lascelles in November and in 1928 a new operating theatre was opened; in 1929 when the Poor Law Authorities were disbanded the workhouse system was abandoned, leaving Greenwich with two hospitals, one for the acute and the other for the chronic sick, on the workhouse site. In 1930 the London County Council took over the administration of the infirmary and renamed it St. Alfege's Hospital after the saint who was murdered by the Danes at Greenwich.

In 1948 St. Alfege's Hospital became part of the National Health Service and was administered by the South East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. In 1960 the Regional Hospital Board issued a directive that the distinction between the two St. Alfege's Hospitals was to be abolished and that they should merge to become one comprehensive general hospital of 605 beds. In May 1963, the Minister of Health gave a Press Conference at which details of the new Greenwich District hospital were released. In 1972 St. Alfege's Hospital was replaced by Greenwich District Hospital.

For a detailed administrative history please see the separate entries for the individual institutions that make up this group of hospitals.

The Lambeth Group Hospital Management Committee was responsible for Lambeth Hospital, the South London Hospital for Women and Children, the Queen Elizabeth Maternity Home, Woodhurst, the Annie McCall Maternity Hospital, South Western Hospital and the Royal Eye Hospital. In 1964 it was amalgamated with the Wandsworth Hospital Management Committee to form the South West London Group Hospital Management Committee.

The Weir Hospital was established as a voluntary, general hospital in 1911 on Grove Road, Balham. In 1938, Grove Road was renamed Weir Road. Remaining on the same site, the hospital became part of the National Health Service in 1948. It was administered by the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board and Wandsworth Hospital Management Committee. In 1950 the hospital became a specialist maternity hospital and was renamed Wandsworth Maternity Hospital. With NHS reorganisation in 1974 the Hospital became part of the South West Thames Regional Health Authority and Wandsworth and East Merton (Teaching) District Health Authority. The hospital closed in the late 1980's.

The Wandsworth Hospital Management Committee administered the following hospitals: Saint James' Hospital, Sarsfield Road; the Weir Maternity Hospital; Saint Benedict's Hospital; the Birchlands Jewish Hospital and the Balham Chest Clinic. It was amalgamated with the Lambeth Group Hospital Management Committee in 1964 to form the South West London Group Hospital Management Committee.

In 1925 Mrs Myers and her daughter Miss E Nora Myers established a Children's Ophthalmic Convalescent Home at Mayfield in Sussex. It was intended for the treatment of children suffering from non-infectious eye trouble, especially those requiring prolonged convalescent treatment. It was under the administrative supervision of Miss Myers, a former assistant almoner at Moorfields Eye Hospital, and patients from Moorfields Hospital received reduced fees.

In 1934 Miss Myers decided to resign and Moorfields took over the administrative control of the Home to save it from closure. This was agreed to for a preliminary period of one year, which was then extended. However, only two years later in 1936 the Home was closed down due to a continued decline in the number of children requiring the facilities of the Home.

The Royal Westminster Ophthalmic Hospital was established on High Holborn in 1816. It was amalgamated with Moorfields Eye Hospital in 1946. For information relating to the Hospital after 1948 see Moorfields Eye Hospital (H47/MR).

A workhouse for St Luke's Parish, Chelsea, was first constructed in 1737. An infirmary was added in 1872. In 1930 the workhouse was taken over by the London County Council, while in 1948 it became part of the new National Health Service (NHS) as Saint Luke's Hospital, Chelsea. It was managed by the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board and the Chelsea and Kensington Hospital Management Committee. Saint Luke's was closed in 1974.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

The Childrens' Homoeopathic Dispensary was opened in about 1920 by Dr Roberson Day. The Dispensary was amalgamated with the Hospital in 1937 and became part of the Children's outpatient department.

Bexley Hospital was founded in 1898 in Old Bexley Lane, Bexley. (It is not the Bexley Hospital in Bexleyheath which was founded in 1884). It has also been known as Heath Asylum, Bexley Asylum, Bexley Mental Hospital and London County Asylum, Bexley. The hospital closed in around 2001.

Bexley Hospital was administered by the South East Metropolitan Hospital Board (1948 - 1974), the South East Thames Regional Health Authority (1974-), the Bexley District Health Authority (1974-) and Oxleas NHS Trust (1995-).

Source of information: The National Archives, Hospital Records Database (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords).

Saint George's Hospital Teaching Group was formed in 1948 following the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS). Originally, the group included Saint George's Hospital, Atkinson Morley Hospital, Royal Dental Hospital, Victoria Hospital for Children, Broadstairs Convalescent Home and Princess Beatrice Hospital. However, Broadstairs Convalescent Home and Princess Beatrice Hospital were quickly transferred to alternative administrative bodies. In 1949, it was decided that Saint George's Hospital would be rebuilt on the Grove Fever Hospital and the Fountain Hospital sites in Tooting. The Grove Fever Hospital was designated to Saint George's Hospital in 1953 and building on the new hospital began in 1973.

Following the reorganisation of the NHS in 1974, Saint George's Hospital Teaching Group was disbanded. Saint George's Hospital passed to the Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Health Authority and was to be directly managed by a District Management Team. The District also included Atkinson Morley Hospital, South London Hospital for Women, Weir Hospital, Saint Benedict's Hospital, Birchlands, Springfield Hospital, Saint James' Hospital, Bolingbroke Hospital, and the Springfield Annex in Kingston.

In 1982, Saint George's was brought under the control of the Wandsworth Health Authority. Shortly after, Weir Hospital, South London Hospital for Women, Saint Benedict's Hospital and Springfield Annex were closed. Birchlands was amalgamated with the Hospital for Aged Jews, and Saint James Hospital in Balham closed in 1988 when the Saint James' Wing at Saint George's Hospital opened.

In 1993, Saint George's Hospital, Atkinson Morley Hospital and Bolingbroke Hospital became part of the Saint George's Healthcare NHS Trust. Bolingbroke Hospital closed in 2008 and its services transferred to Saint John's Therapy Centre, Battersea. Atkinson Morley Hospital's neurology services were relocated to Saint George's, Tooting in 2003, however the Wolfson Neurorehabilitation Centre remained in Wimbledon. In 2010, Saint George's Healthcare NHS Trust merged with Community Services Wandsworth. In 2011, the trust ran Saint George's Hospital, Tooting; Wolfson Neurorehabilitation Centre; and range of services at Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton. It also provided community services from Saint John's Therapy Centre, Wandsworth Prison, Dawes House intermediate care unit, health centres and clinics, schools and nurseries and patients' homes.

For histories of each hospital, please see individual entries in the catalogue.

Bolingbroke Hospital opened in 1880 at Bolingbroke House, Battersea. It was founded by Canon John Erskine Clarke, Vicar of Saint Mary, Battersea. Originally a voluntary hospital, it provided treatment to members of the public who preferred to pay for some or part of their care rather than attend Poor Law Institutions. During the Second World War, it became affiliated to Saint Thomas' Hospital and acted as an emergency hospital for war casualties. In 1948, despite some misgivings, the hospital became part of the new National Health Service and consequently was administered by the Battersea and Putney Hospital Management Group of the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. The hospital experienced mixed fortunes in the following years, including the opening of a coronary care unit in 1967 and the closure of the casualty department in 1974. The reorganisation of the National Health Service in 1974 saw the hospital pass to the Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Area Health Authority of South West Thames Regional Hospital Board. In the 1980s, the hospital was redeveloped to focus on services for the elderly. In 1993, it became part of the newly formed Saint George's Healthcare NHS Trust. With the building deteriorating, the issue of fire safety at the hospital became a concern. In 2004, the NHS trust transferred the inpatient services to surrounding nursing homes and other community hospitals. Bolingbroke continued to act as a community hospital with extensive outpatient services and a day hospital. However in 2008 the entire hospital was closed and the remaining services were relocated to Saint John's Therapy Centre, Battersea.

The hospital has been administered by the following:

1880-1948: Bolingbroke Hospital

1948-1974: Battersea and Putney Hospital Management Group of South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board

1974-1982: Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Area Health Authority of South West Thames Regional Hospital Board

1982-1993: Wandsworth District Health Authority of South West Thames Regional Hospital Board

1993-2008: Saint George's Healthcare NHS Trust.

Pinewood Sanatorium was opened in 1901 as the London Open Air Sanatorium by the National Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis. It was situated in a pine forest near Wokingham in Berkshire. Pine trees were believed to be beneficial for sufferers of tuberculosis.

The Metropolitan Asylums Board were sanctioned to treat tuberculosis patients by the Public Health (Prevention and Treatment of Disease) Act, 1913 (3 and 4 Geo.V c.23). In 1919 they purchased the institution and renamed it Pinewood Sanatorium. In 1929 the London County Council took over the Metropolitan Asylums Board and the Sanatorium became a Special Hospital under their Public Health Department. It was used as a hospital for servicemen during the Second World War, although it continued to take some civilian patients.

The registers show that the last patient was discharged on 20 January 1966 and a subsequent note states "Pinewood Closed". The site was put to various uses, including filming of television shows, and is now a leisure centre run by Wokingham Without Parish Council.

Early Commissioners of Sewers were solely concerned with land drainage and the prevention of flooding, not with the removal of sewage in the modern sense. In 1531 an Act of Sewers was passed which set out in great detail the duties and powers of Commissioners and governed their work until the 19th century. Gradually a permanent pattern emerged in the London area of seven commissions, five north and two south of the Thames, with, after the Great Fire, a separate commission for the City of London. The London commissioners had more extensive powers than those in other parts of the country; they had control over all watercourses and ditches within two miles of the City of London as well as newly constructed drains and sewers. After 1800 the London commissioners also obtained powers to control the formation of new sewers and house drains.

On 21 May 1608 a Commission of Sewers was issued to Sir Nicholas Mosley 'maior of London' and others 'for Turnemyll Brooke and Fleets ditche in Lond. & Midd. and the Watercourse that runneth from Clerkenwell to holborne Bridge and soe into the Ryver of Thames' (Stow's Chronicle). Although this appears to be the first of the Holborn and Finsbury Commissions, the next covering this area appears to be that 'for the Cittie of London and two miles from the same' (1615) (Act 6 Hy. VI c.5) though this must have overlapped the area of the Westminster Commission. The later 17th century Commissions have the area of their jurisdiction described in similar terms and it is not until 1699 (Act 23 Hy. VIII c.5) that 'the Divisions of Holborne and Finsbury' are specifically mentioned.

The jurisdiction of the Holborn and Finsbury Commission of Sewers included sewers in Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, Islington, Hoxton, Moorfields, Chancery Lane, Gray's Inn Road, Leather Lane, Saint Pancras, Camden, Gower Street, the Regent's Canal and the River Fleet.

Upon the formation of units of Local Defence Volunteers (later re-named the Home Guard) in May, 1940, it was considered desirable to recruit volunteers from the Council's staff primarily to provide protection for the Council's buildings and other properties in the event of invasion but also as part of the general L.D.V. organisation throughout the country. In this way, the London County Council Battalion was set up.

In February 1941, a second battalion was formed and the two units were designated the 47th and 48th County of London (LCC) Battalions. Colonel H.R. Oswald, M.C., an Assistant Clerk of the Council was the officer commanding the Battalion and later the Group of two Battalions throughout the entire period of their existence.

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 Holborn Poor Law Union was constituted in 1836 and consisted of the parishes of Saint Andrews above the Bar and Saint George the Martyr Middlesex along with the Liberty of Saffron Hill, Hatton Garden, Ely Rents and Ely Place. Various parishes were added later including Saint Sepulchre (1845), Furnivals Inn and Staple Inn (1858), Saint James and Saint John Clerkenwell and Saint Luke (1869), The Charterhouse (1877), Glasshouse Yard (1901), the united parishes of Saint Giles in the Fields and Saint George Bloomsbury (1901) and the new parish of Finsbury, which was formed by uniting the parishes of Clerkenwell, St Luke, St Sepulchre, Charterhouse and Glasshouse Yard (1915).

Holborn already had a parish workhouse on Grays Inn Road which the Union continued to use after some enlargements. The Workhouse was subsequently used as casual wards for the reception of vagrants. In 1868 the Saint Luke's Workhouse on City Road was taken over by the Union and used as a hospital. Another infirmary was also constructed on Archway Road in Highgate. From 1870 the Union also managed a large industrial school at Mitcham. In 1885 a new workhouse was constructed next to the school.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

John David Towse, of Fishmongers' Hall, was an attorney-at-law and (1809-39) clerk to the Fishmongers' Company and also to the Cooks' Company. He was born in 1760, the son of John Towse, deputy clerk to the Fishmongers' Company.

William Hippisley, attorney, was clerk to the Fishmongers' Company 1758-1766. John Towse was deputy clerk to the Fishmongers' Company and previously law clerk to Hippisley.

The Union Lighterage Company Limited was founded in 1876 and is listed in London directories at 16/17 Philpot Lane, EC from 1876-1962 and then at Beagle House, Leman Street E1 from 1963-71.

Lighters were flat-bottomed barges used for the shipment or unloading of cargo.

This firm of wholesale stationers and papermakers first appears in the London trade directories in 1817. It was known as W. Venables and Company (1817-25), Venables and Wilson (1826-[1835]), Venables, Wilson and Tyler ([1835]-58), Venables, Tyler and Son (1859-1900), and Venables, Tyler and Company Limited (1901-81). After 1981, the firm is no longer mentioned in the directories.

It was based at 17 Queenhithe (1817-1976) and 46/48 Webber Street (1977-81). Partners in the business included two Lord Mayors of London, William Venables (d.1840) and Sir George Robert Tyler (1835-97).

WW Pownall and Company took over as proprietors of The Australian Wine Company in 1887-8, at which time the company was at 4 Mill Street, Hanover Square. It moved to 57 St Mary Axe in 1897.

William Parker was a glass seller at 69 Fleet Street from 1763. From 1772-84 the firm was known as William Parker and Company and from 1785-97 as William Parker and Son. In 1798 his son Samuel took over the business and traded as Parker and Perry, glass manufacturers, from 1803-18.

The Society of Apothecaries was incorporated by royal charter in 1617; previously apothecaries had belonged to the Grocers' Company in the City of London. The Society's members included apothecaries, chemists and druggists, as well as those unconnected with the trade. Following the Apothecaries' Act of 1815 many medical practitioners, particularly those from outside London, were licenced by the Society after a course of training.

The Society established the Chelsea Physic Garden (see Mss 8228-9, 8234-7, 8268, 8270, 8287). The Society's records also contain those of the Friendly Medical Society, established c 1725 "to establish and preserve a good understanding and friendship" amongst the members of the Society of Apothecaries, (see Mss 8278-80A). The Society's hall in Blackfriars Lane was destroyed in the Great Fire, but re-built shortly thereafter.

The Worshipful Company of Armourers and Brasiers was incorporated by royal charter in 1453 as the "Fraternity or Guild of St George of the Men of the Mystery of Armourers of our City of London", although it was certainly in existence from the early 14th century. Various other Companies were absorbed during their history, including helmet makers (the Heamers Company), armour repairers (the Fourters Company), the Bladesmiths Company and workers in copper and brass.

The Company leased a hall in Coleman Street in the City of London from 1346 and purchased this site in 1428. This hall survived the Great Fire, was rebuilt in 1840 and again survived damage during World War Two. The Armourers and Brasiers' Company had almshouses in Camden Avenue, Camberwell.

The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers of the City of London was constituted by the Court of Aldermen in 1569 to regulate and control basketmaking in the City of London, although there are earlier references to the craft. A grant of a livery of thirty was obtained in 1825, and a Royal Charter was granted by King George VI in 1937.

The earliest reference to the company is in 1371 when an agreement with the Fletchers established the two crafts (of bow making and arrow making) as independent. In 1488 they received a grant of arms. The Bowyers were granted a charter on 25 May 1621. Although the trade of bow making has disappeared, the Company continues to support archery. The company had a hall in Noble Street until the 1630s.

The Company was incorporated by royal charter in 1437/8, although it appears to have existed in some form from the 13th century. The Company received a grant of arms in 1469. The Company certainly had a hall in Addle Street in the City of London (leased from the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral) from at least 1403. This building was destroyed in the Great Fire, and the Company's Second Hall built in 1673 was destroyed in World War Two. The present hall in Aldermanbury Square was completed in 1960.

Records of Dame Alice Owen's Charity: In 1609 Dame Alice Owen conveyed almshouses, situated by St John Street (which she had founded for ten poor widows of Islington) to the Brewers' Company. Four years later she founded a school for 30 boys in Islington next to the almshouses. Again, she entrusted the administration of the school to the Brewers' Company, which still retains close links. The almshouses were taken down in 1879-80 to make way for a new playground for the expanding school. A girls' school was added in 1886, and the two combined on its present site in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire in 1973.

Records of John Baker's almshouses: The charity established by the will of John Baker (d. 1818) provided for the establishment of six almshouses, which were built on Mile End Road.

Records of Richard Platt's charity: In 1596 Richard Platt, proprietor of the Old Swan brewery in the parish of St James Garlickhithe and twice Master of the Brewers' Company, obtained letters patent of Elizabeth I to found six almshouses and a grammar school in Aldenham, Hertfordshire. In 1599, the year before Platt's death, they were conveyed to the Brewers' Company. The school was for two centuries just a local village school with very few pupils, based in the master's house. It grew considerably in the 19th century. The Brewers' Company still plays an active role in the running of the school. For further information see R J Evans, The History and Register of Aldenham School, Aylesbury 1969.

The makers of brown bread, known as brown bakers, were members of the Bakers' Company until they were granted their own charter, in 1621. They had been meeting in the basement of Founders' Hall, in Lothbury, since 1594 and only ended this arrangement in 1654, when it appears that they were being drawn back into the orbit of the Bakers' Company. This reunion was formally recognised in the charter of 1685.

The Company of Coachmakers was incorporated by charter in May 1677 and originally controlled its trade, whilst feasible, until 1804. It acquired a hall in Noble Street in 1703, which was destroyed by fire in 1940. Active trade participation ended during the First World War.

The organisation probably dates from 1311/12. Thereafter until 1438 there are references to the masters of the misteries of Cooks, Pastelers and Piebakers, later amalgamated into the Cooks of East Cheap and Bread Street. The first grant of arms was in 1461 and the first charter in 1482.

A guild of coopers, or makers of barrels for beer, wine and spirits, existed before 1396, and five charters were granted to the Company between the years 1501 and 1685. The Company had a hall in Basinghall Street from 1547 until 1666; rebuilt in 1670, it was pulled down in 1865; rebuilt in 1869, and eventually destroyed in 1940. Their present hall is in Devonshire Square.

An organisation of cordwainers appears to have existed at an early date; the first ordinances were granted in 1272. However, the company's charters only date from 1439, with the grant of arms not until 1579. Cordwainers worked with leather (especially cordwain or cordovan leather) to make shoes, bottles and harnesses.

A Fraternity of Curriers was known to be attached to the Priory of the Carmelites by 1389, and ordinances were entered into the City of London Corporation's Letter Book I (held amongst the City's own records) in 1415. In 1583 the Company received a Grant of Arms, and new ordinances were ratified in 1687. However their first charter was not granted until 1605; a further charter was granted by James II in 1686. Curriers dressed and treated tanned leather.The Company now supports technical colleges.

The Company originates from a medieval guild of farriers, but did not receive a charter until 1673/4. Farriers were responsible for the shoeing of horses and also for the early practice of equine veterinary medicine. The Company may have had a Hall in Aldersgate Street, in the 17th century.

The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters were granted a charter in 1657. Their 1663 charter covered the whole of England and Wales and the Company established subsidiary courts at Nottingham and Leicester. The Company had a hall in Redcross Street which was sold in 1821. A framework knitter used machinery to create woollen clothing, principally hosiery.

The Framework Knitters' Company maintained almshouses in the City of London from 1770. They were sold in 1906, and new cottages were built in Oadby in Leicestershire.

A fellowship of those who practised the art of drawing wire and thread from precious metals existed in the 15th century. However, the Company's charter of 1623 was withdrawn and they were not incorporated until 1693. They enjoyed a close relationship with the Broderers' Company, supplying their members with cord and braid to be embroidered on clothing. For short periods in the 17th and 18th centuries, they lodged in other Companies' halls, but the expense became too great and they reverted to meeting in coffee houses.

The Haberdashers' Company was formed from a combination of the small wares business of the Mercers' Company and from the Fraternity of Hurers (the Cappers and Hatters). The first ordinances of the company date from 1371 and the first charter from 1448 (to the Fraternity of St Catherine the Virgin of Haberdashers of London, i.e. to the Fraternity created from the business of the Mercers' Company). The two fraternities were united by a charter of 1502. The company inherited the site of its hall on Gresham Street (formerly Maiden Lane) in 1478. The first hall was destroyed by fire in 1666 and rebuilt in 1668; damaged by fire and rebuilt in 1840; damaged by fire and rebuilt again in 1864; and completely destroyed by enemy action in December 1940. The present hall was completed in 1956.

Robert Aske (1619-89), a prosperous City merchant and member of the Haberdashers' Company, died without children. He left the bulk of his estate to the Haberdashers' Company for charitable purposes, including money to buy land in Hoxton, near the City of London, on which the Company was to build almshouses for 20 poor members of the Company, and a school for 20 sons of poor freemen of the Company. The remainder of the money formed the Haberdasher Aske's Foundation, a charity of which the Company is a trustee. Building work on the almshouses in Hoxton, Shoreditch, started in 1691, to designs by Robert Hooke, and the first pensioners entered in 1695. The almshouse buildings were demolished in 1824 and rebuilt in 1825. The almshouses were closed in 1873 to allow the school to expand, and become a school for girls and boys. The girls school was opened in 1875. At the same time land was purchased by the Foundation at Hatcham, and another boys school built. A girls school was added to this site in 1889. In 1944 these Hatcham schools became voluntary controlled grammar schools, in 1976 comprehensive schools, and combined in 1991 as a City Technology College. In 2004 the Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College and Haberdashers' Aske's Knights Academy were established. In 1898 the schools in Hoxton moved to two new sites, in Hampstead for boys, and in Acton for girls. In 1974 the two schools were reunited at a new site in Elstree. They became independent schools in 1976.

Thomas Aldersey established by letters patent a free grammar school in Bunbury, Cheshire, and endowed it with a preacher, master and usher, drew up the statutes of the school, and gave money to the poor of Bunbury and the Haberdashers' Company, who he entrusted with the running of the school. He also endowed the school with lands in Cheshire. The school was rebuilt in 1812. In 1902 it became a public elementary schol, and in 1958 a voluntary assisted primary school. It is now known as the Bunbury Aldersey Primary School, and has about 230 boys and girls. See the Charity Commissioners' Reports vol.X, pp.193-5.

William Adams, a wealthy London Haberdasher originally from Newport, founded a free grammar school in Newport in 1656. He appointed the Master and Wardens of the Haberdashers' Company to run it and provided estates in nearby Knighton to support it. It provided an education for 80 local boys, and it was equipped with an impressive library. The school currently has about 780 pupils. The Haberdashers' Company still maintains an active role, and nominates a significant number of the governing body.

In 1613 William Jones (d.1615), a prosperous merchant and Haberdasher, gave the Haberdashers' Company money for charitable works, and later bequeathed further sums. Monmouth Grammar school for boys was established, as well as an almshouse at Newland, Gloucestershire. The school was rebuilt in 1865, and the original foundation re-organised in 1891 to support a new girls' school and elementary school, as well as another boys' grammar school in Pontypool. The elementary school and the Pontypool school were transferred to County Council control in 1940 and 1955 respectively. In 1953 the almshouse was converted into 10 flats. Monmouth School and Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls acquired direct grant status in 1946. They became independent in 1976.

By his will of 1663 Throckmorton Trotman bequeathed £2000 to the Haberdashers' Company to build and endow a school. The Company purchased land in Bunhill Row and built a school, but borrowed back much of the bequest as a mortgage to rebuild their Hall, burnt in the Great Fire. The school took boys from the parish of St Giles Cripplegate, and, after its establishment as a parish, from St Luke's Old Street. In 1819 there were only 12 boys being educated. In 1883 the Metropolitan Board of Works took possession of the site, and the school moved to City Road. It was closed in 1899, and money from the bequest diverted to other schools supported by the Company.

The first known reference to the Company is in 1284 although the earliest surviving ordinances date from 1391. Horners worked in horn making horn spoons, combs and so on. In 1476 the Bottlemakers (makers of leather bottles) joined with the Horners since both crafts were troubled by increasing competition from glassware. A note in the Company's ordinance book, Ms 6508, suggests the link was as early as 1368.

The Worshipful Company of Innholders was formed in the 15th century from the original mistery of hostelers and haymongers. Its charter was granted in 1514. The freehold of the hall in College Street was acquired in 1613 and has been rebuilt three times since.

The company received its charter of incorporation in 1463, but had been in existence from the 13th century. Very little is known about the organisation before 1463, as few records survive. The original hall, in Fenchurch Street, was bought in 1457, the company being situated there until the hall was destroyed by a bomb in 1917 (the only livery company to lose its hall during the First World War). In 1919 the decision was made to rebuild the hall on a new site and the old site was sold. The new hall, built in 1923, is situated in Shaftesbury Place, off Aldersgate Street.

Geffery's almshouses were founded by the bequest of Sir Robert Geffery. A site for the almshouses was purchased in 1712. In 1910 they were sold to London County Council and converted into a museum. A site was purchased at Mottingham Park, Eltham, and the new almshouses were completed in 1914. In 1974 these buildings were acquired by the Greater London Council and new almshouses were built at Hook in Hampshire.

By his will dated 1555, Thomas Lewin bequeathed four almshouses in St Nicholas churchyard to the Ironmongers' Company. After they burnt down in the Fire of London, the Company converted four old houses in the parish of St Luke Old Street into houses for four poor freemen. These houses burnt down in 1785 and were replaced by four new almshouses.

The Merchant Taylors' Company, originally the 'Fraternity of St John the Baptist...called the Tailors and Linen Armourers of London', is one of the 'Great Twelve' livery companies of the City of London. The tailors received their first royal charter in 1327, and their charter of incorporation in 1408. The Company has been known as the Merchant Taylors since a charter of Henry VII of 6 January 1503. The Company is believed to have lost all direct contact with its trade during the 17th century. The Company's Hall has occupied the same site in Threadneedle Street since at least the 1340s.

The Company appears always to have had a large membership, and the membership records are extensive. There was also within the Company from at least the early 15th century until the late 17th century a separate, but dependent organisation for the Company's freemen (also known as 'yeomen') who had not achieved livery status. This was known from 1488 as the 'Bachelors' Company'. For a surviving minute and memorandum book of the 'Bachelors' Company' see Ms 34020. Membership of the 'Bachelors' Company was automatic for freemen of the main Company, so there were never any separate membership records.

Over the years the Company acquired extensive landed estates, either for charitable purposes (Trust property) or in its own right (Corporate property). The Company established Merchant Taylors' School from its own funds in 1561, for 'bringing up of children in good manners and literature'. It was always for boys only. Richard Hilles, the Master of the Company in that year, gave £500 towards the new school, but was not its founder. The Company has continued to govern the school up to the present day. Until the mid 20th century, there was a specially close relationship between the school and St John's College, Oxford, founded in 1567 by Sir Thomas White, Master of the Merchant Taylors' Company in 1535-6 and Lord Mayor in 1553-4. In particular, there were a number of closed scholarships from the school to the college. The President and Fellows of the college would normally travel to the school on 11 June (St Barnabas' Day) each year to elect suitable candidates. The school's first premises were in Suffolk Lane, in the parish of St Lawrence Pountney, where the Company purchased the Manor of the Rose. The staff in the early years comprised a schoolmaster and three ushers. The first buildings were destroyed in the Great Fire and rebuilt. In 1874 the school moved to Charterhouse Square, to the former buildings of Charterhouse School, which had recently moved to Godalming. In 1933 it moved again, to Sandy Lodge, Northwood, Middlesex. Because the school was funded by the Company entirely from its own resources, it was excluded from the '17th Report' (1827) of the Charity Commissioners which covers the Company's charities.

In 1413 the Company built seven almshouses for decayed tailors and their wives, believed to be the earliest such foundation in London. These almshouses stood in Threadneedle Street, on the west side of the church of St Martin Outwich, and were financed by charitable grants from John Churchman and the Bishop of Norwich. They appear to have escaped the Great Fire, but to have been discontinued by the Company soon after. In 1593 the Company also built almshouses for fourteen women on Tower Hill, on the north side of Rosemary Lane (now Royal Mint Street). The number of places was increased in 1637 to 26, and in 1767 the almshouses were rebuilt. In 1825 they moved to Lee in Kent, to a site then immediately north of Christopher Boone's almshouses, where they continue. The number of places was again increased, to 30. These almshouses were always funded from Corporate income, and should not be confused with Christopher Boone's almshouses, founded at Lee in the late 17th century and for which the Company acted as a trustee. In 1876 the Company in its corporate capacity purchased the redundant 17th century buildings of Boone's almshouses, which had recently moved to new buildings on a new site in Lee. The redundant buildings were then demolished, and the site added to the garden of the Company's almshouses, with the exception of the former chapel of Boone's almshouses, which was preserved in the south east corner of the garden of the Company's almshouses. In 1928 the Company's almshouses were opened to men as well as women. Confusingly, it seems always to have been possible for residents of the almshouses to also receive, on an individual basis, other Company pensions to which no accommodation was ever attached: see Mss 34162-4. For surviving lists of residents see Ms 34159 (1826-47); Mss 34162-3 (1829-1960). Other names may be discoverable from general series such as the Court minutes. The lists of Company almsmen and almswomen 1622-5 in Mss 34018/1 may also include the names of residents of the almshouses. Note that Mss 34100 and 34101, the two series of miscellaneous documents, contain further documents about the almshouses in Rosemary Lane and at Lee: see Ms 34100/147 (no.10), 151, 160-1, 163 and Ms 34101/29 (bundle 298). For plans of the almshouses in Rosemary Lane and at Lee see Ms 34214/2, 19. Further plans may be in the plan books (Mss 34216-23).

Ordinances were issued by a guild of paviors in 1479, although a charter was not granted until 1672. Thus the Company attained greater recognition as the practice of paving became more widespread. However, the Company languished in 1845 and was not revived until 1889.

A guild of pewterers [makers of pewter utensils], first mentioned in 1348, was granted a charter by Edward IV in 1473/4. The first hall was built in Lime Street in 1496. It was destroyed in the Great Fire and a new hall was built on the same site. This hall was demolished in 1932. The present hall is in Oat Lane.

The Company has been in existence from at least the 13th century, receiving charters in 1504, 1665, 1685, 1688 (two) and 1692. The Company also received a grant of arms in 1634. It was responsible for regulation of the trade in rabbits, pigeons, game, poultry and swans.

The Company appears to have used a tenement in Fenchurch Street as a hall from 1610, the premises being sub-let by the Company from 1630/1. The Company subsequently leased a property on the west side of Butcher Hall Lane. This hall was destroyed in the Great Fire. Since then the Company has held meetings at other company halls in the City and various coffee houses. In the period 1767-1951 the Company held meetings at Guildhall.

The Saddler's Company received its first charter in 1272 and was incorporated in 1395. The company retains close links with saddlery, giving prizes at horse shows and show jumping events. Their Hall in Foster Lane dated from the 14th century but was destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire. It was subsequently rebuilt only to be damaged again in another fire. The repaired building was again damaged by bombing in 1940. The present Hall was opened in 1958.

The Skinners received their first charter in 1327/8 as a result of the more general use of furs and the consequent growth of abuses in connection with the trade. Further charters were granted in 1393, 1437 and 1667. It is thought that the Company was formed from the consolidation of the two Fraternities of Corpus Christi and the Virgin some time between the granting of the first and second charters, the latter being the first to comprehend the whole craft. Ordinances for the regulation of the trade were drawn up immediately prior to the granting of the first charter and again in 1365/6 and 1676. The Company controlled the English fur trade until the eighteenth century. Skinners' Hall, at 8 Dowgate Hill, existed before 1295. It was burnt down in the Great Fire, rebuilt in 1670 and refaced in 1790

The Skinners' Irish estate in Londonderry was known as the Pellipar estate, after the Latin for skinners, pelliparii. It was divided into three divisions: the Dungiven, Ballinascreen and Banagher Divisions.

The following charities are associated with the Company:

Tonbridge School: Sir Andrew Judd, citizen and skinner, and former Lord Mayor of London, founded a school in Tonbridge, Kent in 1553. On his death in 1558, and in accordance with his will, the court of the Skinners' Company became governors, a role representatives of the court still perform. Judd endowed the school with land in Gracechurch Street in the City of London, and in St Pancras. It was a small and local institution until the 19th century when it expanded to become one of the leading public schools of England. The school was largely rebuilt from the 1860s-80s. It currently has some 750 pupils. For further information see A Holmes-Walker, Sixes and Sevens: A Short History of the Skinners' Company, London 2005, pp.50-60.

Skinners Company almshouses: By his will dated 1558, Sir Andrew Judd bequeathed to the Skinners' Company an almshouse in the parish of St Helen's for six poor freemen of the Company. Lewis Newberry (in his will dated 1683) provided for the purchase of land for almshouses at Mile End for six widows of freemen of the Company

Middle School for Boys, Tunbridge Wells: The school was opened by the Skinners' Company in 1887 from surplus profits from the Hunt and Atwell charities, as an addition to its school in Tonbridge, Kent. It was a day school until 1894, from which date boarders were admitted. By 1901 it had 145 pupils. In 1944 it became a voluntary aided school, and in 1992 grant maintained. It currently has about 750 pupils. The Skinners' Company maintains its role on the board of governors.

Sir Andrew Judd's Commercial School: The school was established by the Skinners' Company at Tonbridge, Kent in 1888, out of an endowment from Sir Andrew Judd's Foundation [q.v.]. It moved to its present site in Tonbridge in 1896. It soon after became known as the Judd School. In 1944 it became the first voluntary aided grammar school. It currently has about 850 pupils, including girls in the 6th form.

Middle School for Girls, Stamford Hill: The Skinners' Company founded a middle school for girls in Stamford Hill, North London in 1890 from surplus money from the Hunt and Atwell Charities. Its premises were expanded in 1892. In 1902 there were over 350 pupils. In 1944 it became a voluntary aided school, and in 1972 the first voluntary aided comprehensive. The Skinners' Company has maintained a close association. In 2004 it became a Business and Enterprise College.