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The coronership is an ancient county office concerned originally with pleas of the crown within the county. By 1689 the Coroner's duties had been reduced to the holding of inquests in cases of death under circumstances of suspicion and committing to trial persons against whom verdicts of murder or manslaughter had been returned by the inquest jury. Coroners were also empowered to hold inquests over 'treasure trove' and wrecks.

Under an Act of 1752 (26 Geo II c29) coroners were paid 20/- for every inquisition held and 9d for every mile travelled to view a body. These fees were paid out of the County rates by order of the justices. Coroners returned accounts of inquests held, usually in the form of a list, giving also the mileage travelled and total sum due, which were approved for payment, in Middlesex, by an Accounts Committee. Sometimes inquisitions and witnesses' depositions were returned instead of or in addition to the account.

Coroners were elected by county freeholders (except in certain liberties) and held the office for life. By the Local Government Act 1888 the power to appoint Coroners was transferred to the new County Councils.

Counties were usually divided into districts with a Coroner assigned to each. Sometimes, however, Coroners did act in the district of another Coroner. Coroner's districts changed in size and extent over time, often due to increased population and changes in local government boundaries.

Middlesex: From the 18th century the ancient county of Middlesex was divided into two main Coroner's districts - the Western and the Eastern. There were in addition two liberties having their own Coroner: the City and Liberty of Westminster, and the Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster.

In 1862 a new district was formed, the Central District, by taking 23 parishes and liberties from the Western District. The Western District was further reduced in size in 1892, losing four parishes to the new County of London, and again in 1915 when six parishes were transferred to the Central District.

This Central District formed in 1862 was greatly reduced in size in 1892 by the transfer of most of its area to the new County of London. The situation was partly reversed in 1915 when it received six parishes from the Western District of Middlesex. The Central District vanished entirely in 1926 when it was amalgamated with the Eastern District of Middlesex.

The Eastern District of Middlesex remained intact until 1888 when it was divided into two separate districts - the South Eastern and the North Eastern Districts. Very shortly afterwards, in 1892, both districts were transferred to the new County of London, apart from the parishes of Wood Green and Tottenham. These were then formed into a new Eastern District of Middlesex which absorbed the Central District in 1926.

The City and Liberty of Westminster was a franchise Coroner's District and remained separate with its own Coroner until 1930, when it was merged with the Central District of the County of London.

The Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster was likewise a franchise Coroner's District with two parts in Middlesex: the Liberty of the Savoy, and Edmonton with Enfield. In 1889 the Liberty of the Savoy was transferred to the County of London where it joined the Duchy of Lancaster (Clapham) remaining as a franchise district until 1930 when Clapham was merged with the Southern District of the County of London, and the Savoy with Westminster in the Central District. The Edmonton and Enfield part of the Duchy of Lancaster in Middlesex remained separate until 1932 when it was merged with the Eastern District of Middlesex.

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).

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

These Acts of Parliament were collected for their general or antiquarian interest and relevance to the local history of London and Middlesex.

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).

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.

Bargain and sale was an early form of conveyance often used in the sixteenth century and by executors to convey land; the bargainee or person to whom the land was bargained and sold, became seised of the land.

Quitclaim was a deed renouncing any possible right to a property. The name derives from the Latin term Quietus Clamatus.

Feoffment was an early form of conveyance involving a simple transfer of freehold land by deed followed by in a ceremony called livery of seisin.

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

The Manor of Hayes was purchased in 1858 by Charles Mills, a member of the distinguished Mills banking family, who were partners in Glyns private banking house. He also acquired the Manors of Norwood and Southall, extending his estate to cover most of Hayes parish, from the Yeading Brook on the east to Hillingdon on the west and Uxbridge Road on the south. Mills was made a baronet in 1868. His son Sir Charles Henry Mills inherited the estate in 1872. In 1886 he was created Lord Hillingdon.

From: 'Hayes: Manors and other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 26-29 (available online).

The lease of the house in Gower Street featured in these records was assigned to Frances Wombwell and her daughters by a probate of 1809-10. Other Wombwells mentioned in the collection are Walter Wombwell, a stage coach proprietor and horse dealer, and his wife Martha.

C. O. Banks was a local historian, author of Romances of the Finchley Manor and Early Days of Whetstone, Friern Barnet, North End and East End, Finchley, Barnet and The Story of Finchley, Friern Barnet and Whetstone. He founded Finchley Record Society in 1925.

Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.

Probate (also called proving a will) is the process of establishing the validity of a will, which was recorded in the grant of probate. If a person died intestate (without a valid will) their money, goods and possessions passed to their next of kin through an administration (or letters of administration) which had the same form in law as a will.

Abstract of title is a summary of prior ownership of a property, drawn up by solicitors. Such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months, and was usually drawn up just prior to a sale.

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 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.

Source: British Records Association Guidelines 3: How to interpret deeds (available online).

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.

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

Abstract of title is a summary of prior ownership of a property, drawn up by solicitors. Such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months, and was usually drawn up just prior to a sale.

Source: British Records Association Guidelines 3: How to interpret deeds (available online).

The Wood family settled at Littleton in Middlesex c 1663 and remained there until 1873/4, when the original mansion (built by Edward Wood 1663-5) was largely burnt down and Thomas Wood built a new one at Gwernyfed, Brecon, Wales. The present mansion was partially rebuilt on the same site by Richard Burbidge, who purchased the property from the Wood family.

A manuscript Pedigree Book of the Wood family was drawn up in the nineteenth century and this traces the family back to the fifteenth century, when they were living in Fulbourne, Cambridgeshire. Sir John Wood (1536-1633) sold the family estates in Fulbourne and settled in Beeston, Yorkshire, while his brother Nicholas settled in Norfolk.

Nicholas' son, Edward Wood, (c 1604-1667), was born in Suffolk and moved to London some time before 1634. The baptisms of several children are recorded in the registers of St. Dunstan's in the East, but only Thomas (1641-1723) survived infancy. Edward Wood described himself as a "Citizen and Grocer", and it seems that he had a house in Thames Street. He moved to Littleton around 1663 and set up as a gentleman farmer, while continuing to run his London business through his agent John Pack. Collection ACC/0262 includes many letters from Edward Wood to his agents discussing business matters.

Edward's son Thomas Wood married Dorothy Dicer in June 1666 at Saint Dunstan's in the East, and moved into the house at Littleton. Edward Wood died in March, 1667 and was buried at St. Dunstan's in the East on March 20th. Thomas and Dorothy had two sons, Robert and Edward, who both went to Eton and Oxford.

When Thomas died in 1723 Robert took over the Littleton house. He extended the family land holdings in the area, but it was his son, Thomas, who finally purchased the Manor of Littleton itself from Gilbert Lambell in 1749. It then remained in the hands of the Wood family until 1873.

In 1706 Thomas Twining (1675-1741) took over Tom's Coffee House and decided to make tea more prominent on the menu. His son Daniel Twining (1713-1762) was a dealer in tea, while his son Richard Twining (1749-1824) established the prominence of the Twining label and their lasting association with the import of tea. The family home was Dial House in Twickenham.

The long-standing connection between the Wood family and the parish of Littleton began in the middle of the seventeenth century when Edward Wood, citizen and grocer of London, built his mansion house there. This remained the principal seat of the family until the house was destroyed by fire in December 1874, and Captain Thomas Wood removed permanently to the family estate at Gwernyfed, Brecknockshire, Wales.

The Woods were substantial landowners with property in a number of counties. The Middleham estate in Yorkshire was purchased in the seventeenth century and the estate at Gwernyfed was acquired in 1776 upon the marriage of Thomas Wood to Mary, daughter and heiress of Sir Edward Williams of Langoid Castle. In Middlesex the lordships of Astlam and Littleton were held by the family, and Captain Thomas Wood was lord of the manor of Littleton in 1906 (The Victoria History of the County of Middlesex, Vol. 2., 1911). The Littleton estate, comprising over 1250 acres in Littleton, Shepperton, Ashford and Laleham, was broken up and sold from 1892, although Captain Thomas Wood still owned much of the land in Littleton parish in the early twentieth century.

Members of the family followed careers, for the most part, in law, government, and the armed forces. The first Thomas Wood to live at Littleton (d.1723) continued his father's merchant business and held the appointment of Ranger of Hampton Court. His son Robert was a scholar and Doctor of Laws and, in the next generation, Thomas (1708-99) was Treasurer of the Inner Temple. His descendants entered the government, at home and overseas, often preceding this by military careers. Colonel Thomas Wood (1777-1860), Member of Parliament for Brecon for forty years, commanded the Royal East Middlesex Regiment of Militia for fifty six years and encamped with them at Aldershot in his eightieth year. His son Thomas (1804-72) commanded the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards in the early stages of the Crimean War, prior to this he represented the County of Middlesex in Parliament. Thomas his son (b 1853) followed his father into the Grenadiers and saw action in the Sudan. Upon leaving the regular army he became a colonel in the Brecknockshire Rifle Volunteers and entered local government. Famous soldiers in the family include Charles Wood (1790-1877) who fought in the Peninsula, and at Waterloo, and his nephew General Sir David Wood (1812-94) an officer in the Crimean campaign and the Indian Mutiny.

Throughout the nineteenth century the family consolidated its position among the landed gentry by contracting alliances with the aristocracy. In successive generations three Thomas Woods married, respectively, the daughter of 1st Marquess of Londonderry, the grand-daughter of 4th Duke of Grafton, and the daughter of 1st. Lord Tollemache. Colonel Thomas Wood and his wife enjoyed the friendship of William IV and Queen Adelaide and the King nominated Wood to be one of his executors.

Colonel Wood was host to George IV at Gwernyfed, and members of the royal family visited Littleton. The fire which destroyed the Littleton mansion in 1874 also consumed a fine collection of paintings. The most famous of these was Hogarth's Strolling Actors, which had been purchased in 1745 by Thomas Wood. The artist's signed receipt for the purchase money is among the documents in this collection (ACC.1302/91). It was preserved carefully by the family and is mentioned by James Thorne in his Handbook to the Environs of London, published in 1876.

The manor of Ickenham was conveyed to John Charlton in 1334. The manor was inherited by Charlton's daughter Juette, who was married to Nicholas Shorediche. The estate stayed in the Shorediche family until 1812 when it was passed to George Robinson after Michael Shorediche could not pay the mortgage. Michael married an East Indian heiress in 1813 but the family were unable to regain the manor.

From: 'Ickenham: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 102-104 (available online).

Robert Williams was an upholsterer and cabinet maker of Bow Street, Covent Garden. He appears to have produced furniture, furnishings and fittings, funeral undertakings, packing cases, compass rods and other ship's fittings.

The Manor of Osterley in Heston was purchased by property developer Nicholas Barbon in 1683. Barbon conveyed the Manor to two co-mortgagees including the banker Sir Francis Child the elder (1642-1718). Child took possession of the Manor on Barbon's death in 1698, while his son Robert Child (d 1721) bought out the co-mortgagee, so that the Child family owned the whole estate. The family expanded the estates by purchasing nearby Manors and commissioned Robert Adam to redesign the house.

The estates and Child's Bank were inherited by Sarah Anne (1764-1793), daughter and sole heir of Robert Child (d 1782). Under the terms of Robert Child's will the estates passed to Sarah Anne's daughter Lady Sarah Sophia Fane (1785-1867), who was said to have an income of £60,000 a year. Lady Sarah married George Villiers, the fifth Earl of Jersey (1773-1859) who took the name Child-Villiers in 1812. Osterley Park stayed in the Jersey family until 1949 when it was sold to the National Trust.

In 1800 the Manor of Hayes was sold to the executors of Robert Child's will and was therefore added to Osterley and passed to Lady Sarah Sophia Fane and her husband the Earl of Jersey. They sold the Manor in 1829 to Robert Willis Blencowe.

The Manors of Norwood and Southall were united in 1547. In 1754 they were sold to Agatha Child who left them to her son Francis Child. They were united with the Manor of Hayes and followed the same descent-passing to the Jersey family and then sold to Robert Willis Blencowe.

For more information about Osterley Park and Manor see 'Heston and Isleworth: Osterley Park', and 'Heston and Isleworth: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 100-111 (available online).

See also 'Hayes: Manors and other estates' and 'Norwood, including Southall: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 26-29 and pp. 43-45.

The Manor of Osterley in Heston was purchased by property developer Nicholas Barbon in 1683. Barbon conveyed the Manor to two co-mortgagees including the banker Sir Francis Child the elder (1642-1718). Child took possession of the Manor on Barbon's death in 1698, while his son Robert Child (d 1721) bought out the co-mortgagee, so that the Child family owned the whole estate. The family expanded the estates by purchasing nearby Manors and commissioned Robert Adam to redesign the house.

The estates and Child's Bank were inherited by Sarah Anne (1764-1793), daughter and sole heir of Robert Child (d 1782). Under the terms of Robert Child's will the estates passed to Sarah Anne's daughter Lady Sarah Sophia Fane (1785-1867), who was said to have an income of £60,000 a year. Lady Sarah married George Villiers, the fifth Earl of Jersey (1773-1859) who took the name Child-Villiers in 1812. Osterley Park stayed in the Jersey family until 1949 when it was sold to the National Trust.

In 1800 the Manor of Hayes was sold to the executors of Robert Child's will and was therefore added to Osterley and passed to Lady Sarah Sophia Fane and her husband the Earl of Jersey. They sold the Manor in 1829 to Robert Willis Blencowe.

The Manors of Norwood and Southall were united in 1547. In 1754 they were sold to Agatha Child who left them to her son Francis Child. They were united with the Manor of Hayes and followed the same descent-passing to the Jersey family and then sold to Robert Willis Blencowe.

The Manor of Wick (or Wyke) was sold to the Earl of Jersey in 1802 and incorporated into the Osterley estates.

For more information about Osterley Park and Manor see 'Heston and Isleworth: Osterley Park', and 'Heston and Isleworth: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 100-111 (available online).

See also 'Hayes: Manors and other estates' and 'Norwood, including Southall: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 26-29 and pp. 43-45.

The early history of the estate later known as Swakeleys manor is obscure. In the early 13th century the estate seems to have passed to John de Trumpinton whose son, also called John, still held it about 1260. By 1329, however, part of this land had apparently been acquired by Robert Swalcliffe of Swalcliffe. Four years later Robert and his wife conveyed their lands to William le Gauger of London, but the family name Swalcliffe, later contracted to Swakeleys, continued to attach to the estate. In 1751 the estate was sold to the Reverend Thomas Clarke, Rector of Ickenham. Members of the Clarke family held Swakeleys for over a century. Thomas Clarke died in 1796 and was succeeded by his son Thomas Truesdale Clarke. Thomas Truesdale's son, another Thomas Truesdale, succeeded in 1840 and bought the manor of Ickenham in 1859. He died in 1890 and was succeeded by his son William Capel Clarke, who had married Clara Thornhill and had added his wife's name to his own. William Capel Clarke-Thornhill died in 1898 and in 1922 his son Thomas Bryan Clarke-Thornhill sold most of the Swakeleys estate to agents for development as a residential suburb.

The extent of Swakeleys in the Middle Ages is unknown: from the 14th century the manor included much land outside the parish. In 1531 it was said to comprise more than 1,000 acres and in 1608 over 2,000 acres. At inclosure in 1780 Thomas Clarke held 368 acres in Ickenham. A park is mentioned in 1453 and again in 1517. This presumably was that surrounding Swakeleys manor-house.

The origins of the estate later known as Hercies manor are obscure. The property is first mentioned by name in 1386 when it formed part of the extensive estates of the Charlton family. In 1778 or 1779 Hercies was sold to the trustees of Thomas Bridges under whose will it descended to Thomas Clarke, Rector of Ickenham and lord of Swakeleys manor. At the end of the 18th century Hercies or Herres Farm comprised 222 acres lying north of the farm buildings in the rectangular area bounded by Uxbridge Common, the Ickenham boundary, Long Lane, and Sweetcroft Lane. In 1796 Thomas Clarke died and the property, then described as the site of the manor of Hercies, passed to his son Thomas Truesdale Clarke. Under the inclosure award of 1825 Thomas Truesdale Clarke was allotted approximately 330 acres in lieu of Hercies and Rye Fields farms. The property is not mentioned again until 1922 when Hercies Farm was acquired by the local authority.

From: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 69-75 (available online).

The Manors featured in these papers were all held by the interconnected Paget family. William Paget, first Baron Paget, (1505-1563) rose to prominence in the court of Henry VIII despite coming from a modest London family, acting as diplomat, ambassador, secretary of state and member of the Privy Council. As he became more successful Paget began to accumulate lands and estates, starting with the manor of West Drayton in 1536. The Manor of Harmondsworth was granted in 1547 and joined to his West Drayton estates. He later acquired estates in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Worcestershire.

The eighth Baron Paget, Henry Paget (1663-1743), an official in the Royal household, was made first Earl of Uxbridge in 1714. His son, also Henry (1719-1769), was the second Earl of Uxbridge and added to the family estates with the purchase of the Manors of Dawley and Harlington in 1755. Henry died unmarried and childless, so the barony of Paget passed to Henry Bayly (1744-1812), the great-great-grandson of William, the sixth baron Paget. Bayly, who changed his name to Paget, sold the manor of West Drayton in 1786, the manor of Dawley in 1772 and the manor of Harlington in 1773. His son Henry William Paget (1768-1854) became the marquess of Anglesey after losing a leg at the Battle of Waterloo. His son sold the Manor of Harmondsworth in the mid-nineteenth century.

Sources: 'Harlington: Manors' and 'West Drayton: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 191-195 and pp. 261-267; and 'Harmondsworth: Manors and other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 7-10. See also entries for the Paget family in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Edmund Dunch (1602-1678) was the son of Sir William Dunch of Little Wittenham, Berkshire. He was a cousin of Oliver Cromwell through his mother Mary, and supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War. The document in this collection was issued when Dunch refused to pay ship money to Charles I. He was tried but not punished.

Colham manor was in 1086 assessed at 8 hides, 6 of which were in demesne. Part of the manor lands was probably granted away in the mid-13th century to form the basis of the sub-manor later known as Cowley Hall. At some time before 1594, however, Hillingdon manor was incorporated in that of Colham. The location of the manor lands before the assimilation of Hillingdon manor is uncertain. Fourteenth-century surveys of Colham include land in Great Whatworth Field, Hanger Field, and Strode Field, a warren on Uxbridge Common, and woodland at Highseat in the north-west. By 1636, however, Colham and Hillingdon manors had been consolidated, so that the lands of Colham then covered approximately two-thirds of Hillingdon parish. At this date the outer boundaries of Colham appear to have substantially respected those of the parish, except in the north-east where the manor boundary followed the Pinn southward from Ickenham Bridge to Hercies Lane and then ran south-eastward to rejoin the parish boundary south of Pole Hill Farm. Insulated within the lands of Colham lay the 'three little manors' of Cowley Hall, Colham Garden, and Cowley Peachey, and freehold estates belonging to a number of manors in other parishes, including Swakeleys in Ickenham.

The manor passed through several owners before, in 1787, John Dodd sold the whole manor to Fysh de Burgh, lord of the manor of West Drayton. Fysh de Burgh died in 1800 leaving Colham, subject to the life interest of his widow Easter (d. 1823), in trust for his daughter Catherine (d. 1809), wife of James G. Lill who assumed the name of De Burgh, with remainder to their son Hubert. The manor passed to Hubert de Burgh in 1832 and he immediately mortgaged the estate. Hubert retained actual possession of the property, which was seldom if ever during this period unencumbered by mortgages, until his death in 1872.

In the 12th century the dean and chapter claimed that ten manse at West Drayton had been given by Athelstan to the cathedral church of Saint Paul, and the date 939 has been given for this grant. Though both the transcribed grant and the date are suspect, Saint Paul's appears to have been in possession by about 1000, when West Drayton supplied one of a number of 'shipmen' for a muster drawn from estates in Essex, Middlesex, and Surrey, most of which can be shown to have belonged, then or later, to the Bishop of London or to Saint Paul's. Various tenants farmed the estate on behalf of Saint Paul's until the lease was acquired in 1537 by William Paget (c. 1506-63), secretary to Jane Seymour. In 1546 Henry VIII, having 'by the diligence and industry' of Paget acquired the manor with all appurtenances, granted it to him in fee, and the interest of the chapter ceased.

From 1546 to 1786 the manor descended with the other Paget honors and estates, apart from a brief period at the end of the 16th century. In 1786 Henry Paget (1744-1812), 1st Earl of Uxbridge, sold the manor and estate to Fysh Coppinger, a London merchant, who assumed his wife's name de Burgh. His widow, Easter de Burgh, owned the manor in 1800. She died in 1823 and it passed to her grandson Hubert de Burgh, who died in 1872. The next heir, Francis (d. 1874), devised it jointly to his daughters, Minna Edith Elizabeth, and Eva Elizabeth, who was sole owner when she died unmarried in 1939.

From: "A History of the County of Middlesex", Volume 3 and Volume 4 (available online).

Saint Mary's Nunnery of Augustinian canonesses, founded in 1140, was dissolved in 1539 and the church converted to the parish church of Clerkenwell. In the 1780s the building was declared ruinous and demolished.

The present church was built 1788-92 by the architect James Carr, on the site of the choir of the mediaeval nunnery. It is regarded as one of the most respected Palladian architects of the period. It is built of stock brick and has a stone west tower. The steeple was rebuilt in 1849 by William Pettit Griffith and the Church was further restored 1883-84. In 1978 the church was redecorated and the organ restored to its 18th century design.

The church was described in 1906 as 'a very dingy-looking building of earth-brick with round-headed windows'. The former burial ground was opened as a public ground in 1897, while the crypt was converted into a hall in 1912.

The Manor of Little Stanmore, also known as Canons, was sold to James Brydges in 1709. Brydges later became Lord Chandos, and in 1719 was made Duke of Chandos. However, Henry, Duke of Chandos, was forced to sell the manor and house in 1746, to pay off heavy debts. James Brydges also acquired the Manor of Great Stanmore which remained in the Chandos family until 1840.

Warren House, situated on Wood Lane, and its estates were originally part of the Manor of Great Stanmore and were leased out by the Chandos family. It was later owned by James Forbes of the East India Company. Forbes sold it in 1813, and by 1827 it was the property of the architect Sir Robert Smirke who also held 23 acres in Great Stanmore and 108 acres in Little Stanmore. It was then owned by Charles Keyser, banker Henry Bischoffsheim, and his grandson Major General Sir John Fitzgerald. In 1937 Fitzgerald sold 123 acres of land to Harrow Urban District Council as part of the Green Belt; and then in 1951 sold the house with 11 acres of land to the National Corporation for the Care of Old People.

Source: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), available online.

The Goldsmith's Company held estates in East Acton which they acquired in 1682. The estate comprised a house, farmhouses, cottages, and several acres of land. The Company leased out the house, as evidenced by document ACC/0455/001, a lease from the company to Charles Watson. In the twentieth century the Company sold off most of the land and demolished the house.

From: 'Acton: Manors and other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7: Acton, Chiswick, Ealing and Brentford, West Twyford, Willesden (1982), pp. 16-23 (available online).

An estate in Mill Hill known as Belmont Farm was acquired by Peter Hammond between 1768 and 1792. He left the estate to his daughter, wife of Somerset Davies. Davies coveyed 83 acres to Robert Anderson in 1801, but when Anderson went bankrupt in 1803 the estate was bought by Captain Robert Williams. He conveyed the estate to David Prior in 1812. Prior's widow sold the estate to Sir Charles Flower in 1820. Flower was a mill owner and had been Lord Mayor of London. He purchased more land from Robert Finch and Michael Coomes in 1821 and 1826, so that by 1828 his estate comprised 441 acres and stretched from the Hale to the Totteridge boundary, including Lawrence Street, Uphill and Bittacy farms. Flower left the estate to his son James, who died in 1850. By 1889 the estate had been split up.

From: 'Hendon: Other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 21-23 (available online).

According to an entry in "Dickens's Dictionary of London", by Charles Dickens, Junior, (1879): "So many of the poorer among the working classes of London are absolutely compelled to live within easy distance of their work, that a serious problem is added to the many difficulties which arise when great metropolitan improvements are in contemplation. The destruction of whole quarters of the town, which house, however inadequately, many families, is not an enterprise to be undertaken without due regard being had to the requirements of those whose little homes are taken from them, and who, if matters are left to take their own course, have no choice but to seek refuge in the already over-crowded streets and alleys which remain untouched. Fortunately this is a question that early attracted the attention of practical philanthropists, and several associations now exist which have its solution for their object ... THE ARTIZANS, LABOURERS, AND GENERAL DWELLINGS COMPANY-In the words of its prospectus, "this company was established for the erection of improved dwellings near to the great centres of industry, but free from the annoyances arising from the proximity of manufactures." Large estates have been secured near Clapham Junction and the Harrow-road the former, called Shaftesbury-park, is now covered with about 1,150 houses whilst the partially developed Queen's-park Estate, Harrow-road, contains nearly 800 houses. The estates have been laid out with every regard to the latest sanitary improvements. The Shaftesbury-park Estate is readily accessible from Kensington, Victoria, Waterloo, Ludgate-hill, and London-bridge, at low fares; while the Westbourne-park Station on the Metropolitan District and Great Western Railways, and the Kensal-green Station on the Hampstead Junction and North London Railway, and the new station on the London and North-Western main line, with a good service of omnibuses, make the Queen's-park Estate at Harrow-road almost equally accessible. The sale of intoxicating liquor is altogether excluded. The company reserves the right to prohibit sub-letting, or to limit the number of lodgers. There is a co-operative store on the Shaftesbury-park Estate as well as a handsome hall for public gatherings and society meetings; and on both estates the School Board for London has provided ample school accommodation. The houses are divided into four classes, according to accommodation and position. The smallest - the fourth-class - contains five rooms on two floors. A third-class house has an additional bed-room. In the second-class house there is an extra parlour, making in all seven rooms; while a house of the first-class has eight rooms - a bath-room being the additional accommodation. The present weekly rental, which includes rates and taxes, except in the case of the first-class houses, is as follows:
an ordinary fourth-class house, 7s. 6d.
third-class, 8s. 6d.
second-class, 10s.
first-class, 10s. and 11s.
The shops, corner houses, those with larger gardens than ordinary, and some other exceptional houses, are subject to special arrangements both as to rental and purchase. The company is also prepared to sell the houses on lease for 99 years, and on easy terms, subject to a moderate ground-rent; the object being to encourage the personal acquisition of the house by payment of a slightly increased rental. All applications to rent or purchase houses must be made in the first instance to the sub-managers on the estates, and all letters must contain a stamped envelope for reply."

Source: http://www.victorianlondon.org/dickens/dickens-mus.htm (accessed July 2009).

There is no unifying factor to these papers (e.g. that they relate to property owned by one estate or family or the legal work of one office), they were simply collected for their antiquarian interest before being passed to the archive.

No history of the Bore or Pugh families is available.

The parish of Saint Mary, Harrow, was served by several charitable bequests which provided for the local poor. The governors of Harrow School gave the parish £20 a year for poor relief.

Harrow Weald National School was founded in 1845 and was situated next to All Saint Church. It was controlled by the curate and offered lessons for boys and girls.

For more information see: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971).

Albion Lodge was a large house, constructed in 1815, and situated in what was once the rural outskirts of Tottenham parish. In 1861 the new Saint Ann's church, with its schools and model cottages, brought development to the area. The area is now known as Fortis Green and the Lodge has been converted into a residential care home for the elderly.

Nathaniel Gladman was a trunkmaker based at the Old Three Trunks and Golden Dove at Charing Cross [Saint Martins in the Fields].

The Manor of Laleham was purchased in 1802 by Richard Bingham, the second Earl of Lucan (1764-1839). His son George Charles Bingham, the third Earl of Lucan (1800-1888), was famous for ordering the 'Charge of the Light Brigade' during the Crimean War.

A 'formulary' is a book of formulas, containing the set form or forms according to which something is to be done or written; in this case indictments, which were legal documents containing the charges or formal accusations against a person. The book would have been used as a handbook or guide for legal professionals.

Bentley Priory was a freehold estate in Harrow. It was originally owned by an Augustinian house but passed into private hands when the priory was dissolved in 1536. In 1788 the estate was sold to John James Hamilton, the Marquess of Abercorn, who died in 1818. In 1857 the estate was sold to builder and railway engineer Sir John Kelk who sold it in 1882.

Aylwards was a tenement of Great Stanmore Manor which later passed into private hands and thence into the ownership of the Marquess of Abercorn.

Source of information: 'Harrow, including Pinner : Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 203-211 and 'Great Stanmore: Economic history', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 99-102 (available online).

Hillingdon parish included a number of freeholds outside of the local manor of Colham. In 1636 there were 35 freeholds in Colham manor, covering more than 300 acres, mostly on the edge of the heath. From the 17th century a number of these houses were owned by persons of importance, and were noted for pleasure gardens. Hillingdon House had the largest estate, which was owned by the Cox family after 1810. The estate was broken up in 1915 when it comprised over 500 acres including land in Harefield and Ruislip.

From: 'Hillingdon, including Uxbridge: Manors and other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 69-75 (available online).

The Manor of Osterley in Heston was purchased by property developer Nicholas Barbon in 1683. Barbon conveyed the Manor to two co-mortgagees including the banker Sir Francis Child the elder (1642-1718). Child took possession of the Manor on Barbon's death in 1698, while his son Robert Child (d. 1721) bought out the co-mortgagee, so that the Child family owned the whole estate. The family expanded the estates by purchasing nearby Manors and commissioned Robert Adam to redesign the house.

The estates and Child's Bank were inherited by Sarah Anne (1764-1793), daughter and sole heir of Robert Child (d. 1782). Under the terms of Robert Child's will the estates passed to Sarah Anne's daughter Lady Sarah Sophia Fane (1785-1867), who was said to have an income of £60,000 a year. Lady Sarah married George Villiers, the fifth Earl of Jersey (1773-1859) who took the name Child-Villiers in 1812. Osterley Park stayed in the Jersey family until 1949 when it was sold to the National Trust.

In 1800 the Manor of Hayes was sold to the executors of Robert Child's will and was therefore added to Osterley and passed to Lady Sarah Sophia Fane and her husband the Earl of Jersey. They sold the Manor in 1829 to Robert Willis Blencowe.

The Manors of Norwood and Southall were united in 1547. In 1754 they were sold to Agatha Child who left them to her son Francis Child. They were united with the Manor of Hayes and followed the same descent-passing to the Jersey family and then sold to Robert Willis Blencowe.

For more information about Osterley Park and Manor see 'Heston and Isleworth: Osterley Park', and 'Heston and Isleworth: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 100-111 (available online).

See also 'Hayes: Manors and other estates' and 'Norwood, including Southall: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 26-29 and pp. 43-45.

Harrow Manor belonged to the archbishops of Canterbury from the early middle ages until 1545 when Henry VIII forced Cranmer to sell the manor to him. Henry sold the estate to Sir Edward North. The North family sold the manor to the Pitt family, whence it came to Alice Pitt and her husbands, Edward Palmer and then Sir James Rushout. The Rushouts acquired the barony of Northwick in 1797. Harrow stayed in the family until the death of the 3rd Baron, Sir George Rushout-Bowles, in 1887. His widow left the estate to her grandson Captain E G Spencer-Churchill. He sold the land in the 1920s.

Harrow Manor described both the manorial rights over the whole area and the chief demesne farm in the centre of the parish. This was known as Sudbury Manor or Sudbury Court. The ownership of Sudbury Manor followed that of Harrow, hence the name Harrow alias Sudbury.

From: 'Harrow, including Pinner : Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 203-211 (available online).

The Manor of Harrow Rectory alias Harrow-on-the-Hill originated in land owned by priest Werhardt in the 9th century. From 1094-1845 Harrow Rectory was a peculiar of the archbishopric of Canterbury within the deanery of Croydon. The rector had sole manorial jurisdiction over Harrow-on-the-Hill and Roxborough, and collected tithes from a large area. This was a prized position which attracted ambitious and important men, and the rectory house was accordingly fine and spacious. In 1546 the rectory was impropriated to Christ Church, Oxford, but in 1547 the college alienated the rectory, the advowson of the vicarage, and (from 1550) the tithes to Sir Edward North, lord of Harrow alias Sudbury Manor. The grant was made in fee farm in perpetuity, North paying the College an annual fee. North sublet the rectory and tithes while retaining the manorial rights, and enjoyed the rights and profits of the rectory. In 1630 the rectory was conveyed to George Pitt and thereafter descended with Sudbury Court Manor until 1807, when the rectory house and 121 acres of land north of it were sold to James Edwards; the remaining land becoming part of Harrow Park.

'Harrow, including Pinner : Harrow church', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 249-255 (available online).

The Manor of Osterley in Heston was purchased by property developer Nicholas Barbon in 1683. Barbon conveyed the Manor to two co-mortgagees including the banker Sir Francis Child the elder (1642-1718). Child took possession of the Manor on Barbon's death in 1698, while his son Robert Child (d. 1721) bought out the co-mortgagee, so that the Child family owned the whole estate. The family expanded the estates by purchasing nearby Manors and commissioned Robert Adam to redesign the house.

The estates and Child's Bank were inherited by Sarah Anne (1764-1793), daughter and sole heir of Robert Child (d. 1782). Under the terms of Robert Child's will the estates passed to Sarah Anne's daughter Lady Sarah Sophia Fane (1785-1867), who was said to have an income of £60,000 a year. Lady Sarah married George Villiers, the fifth Earl of Jersey (1773-1859) who took the name Child-Villiers in 1812. Sarah was a prominent society hostess; while her husband preferred to stay on the family estates and breed horses.

Osterley Park stayed in the Jersey family until 1949 when it was sold to the National Trust.

For more information about Osterley Park and Manor see 'Heston and Isleworth: Osterley Park', and 'Heston and Isleworth: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 100-111 (available online). For biographies of the Earls of Jersey see the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Harrow Manor belonged to the archbishops of Canterbury from the early middle ages until 1545 when Henry VIII forced Cranmer to sell the manor to him. Henry sold the estate to Sir Edward North. The North family sold the manor to the Pitt family, whence it came to Alice Pitt and her husbands, Edward Palmer and then Sir James Rushout. The Rushouts acquired the barony of Northwick in 1797. Harrow stayed in the family until the death of the 3rd Baron, Sir George Rushout-Bowles, in 1887. His widow left the estate to her grandson Captain E G Spencer-Churchill. He sold the land in the 1920s.

Harrow Manor described both the manorial rights over the whole area and the chief demesne farm in the centre of the parish. This was known as Sudbury Manor or Sudbury Court. The ownership of Sudbury Manor followed that of Harrow, hence the name Harrow alias Sudbury.

From: 'Harrow, including Pinner : Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 203-211 (available online).

The Manor of Harrow Rectory alias Harrow-on-the-Hill originated in land owned by priest Werhardt in the 9th century. From 1094-1845 Harrow Rectory was a peculiar of the archbishopric of Canterbury within the deanery of Croydon. The rector had sole manorial jurisdiction over Harrow-on-the-Hill and Roxborough, and collected tithes from a large area. This was a prized position which attracted ambitious and important men, and the rectory house was accordingly fine and spacious. In 1546 the rectory was impropriated to Christ Church, Oxford, but in 1547 the college alienated the rectory, the advowson of the vicarage, and (from 1550) the tithes to Sir Edward North, lord of Harrow alias Sudbury Manor. The grant was made in fee farm in perpetuity, North paying the College an annual fee. North sublet the rectory and tithes while retaining the manorial rights, and enjoyed the rights and profits of the rectory. In 1630 the rectory was conveyed to George Pitt and thereafter descended with Sudbury Court Manor until 1807, when the rectory house and 121 acres of land north of it were sold to James Edwards; the remaining land becoming part of Harrow Park.

'Harrow, including Pinner : Harrow church', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 249-255 (available online).

8 manse at Hanwell were granted to Westminster Abbey by Archbishop Dunstan in the 10th century. Hanwell was reckoned as an independent manor in Domesday Book, but after this, apparently before the 13th century, it became absorbed in the neighbouring manor of Greenford, which also belonged to Westminster. The first court rolls, which survive from the early 16th century, show that Hanwell was then a subsidiary hamlet of Greenford; from the middle of the century the manor was generally called 'Greenford and Hanwell', and lands in Hanwell were described indifferently as held of Greenford manor or Hanwell manor. By the late 18th century, though the courts were still held together, the two manors seem to have been regarded as separate entities. Most of the extensive copyhold land in Hanwell seems to have been enfranchised during the 19th century and the manorial courts were discontinued about 1900.

The leases of the demesnes of Greenford manor which were made from the late 15th century onwards included a certain amount of land in Hanwell, though it seems that Hanwell Park, which was copyhold, was never the residence of the lessees of the manor. The manor passed in the 16th century to the Bishop of London and in 1649 his lessee was estimated to hold 95 acres in the parish. When the manorial estates were divided into two unequal parts in the 18th century, the Hanwell lands all formed part of the larger share. At the inclosure of 1816, the bishop and his lessee were allotted 26 acres for open-field land and common rights, and also held about 75 acres of old inclosed land. Most of these lands, like the manorial estates in Greenford to which they were attached, were sold by the Church Commissioners after the Second World War.

Source: 'Hanwell: Manor', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 224-225 (available online).

Mill Hill did not always have an Anglican church. Until the 1820s parishioners had to go to St Mary's Hendon to worship, some miles away, but in the 1820s it was clear that the district would require a chapel of ease. Local resident William Wilberforce, the anti-slavery campaigner, became the central benefactor in 1827. Saint Paul's was completed in 1830, and consecrated in 1833. It became a parish church in 1926.

Fysh Coppinger was a London merchant who married into the de Burgh family of West Drayton and took the surname of Burgh.

The History of the County of Middlesex notes that Sir Gilbert Gerard, elder brother of William Gerard of Flambard, and Gilbert's son Sir Charles Gerard, owned lands near Harrow.

From: 'Harrow, including Pinner : Other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 211-218.

Lawn House was a large private home in Hanwell. From the mid-nineteenth century it was used as a private lunatic asylum. It was demolished in the early twentieth century.

The Ashburnham family lived at Ashburnham Place, East Sussex, from the 12th century onwards. The family rose to a position of prominence during the reign of Charles I, and supported the monarchy in the Civil War. They lost their estates during the Interregnum but regained Ashburnham Place during the Restoration. John Ashburnham was made the 1st Baron Ashburnham in 1689. The line became extinct on the death of Thomas Ashburnham, the 6th Earl, and the estate was broken up and sold.

The family had extensive estates across England and Wales, including a house in Dean's Yard, Westminster, and at Dover Street, Piccadilly (both known as Ashburnham House), and property in Chiswick and Chelsea. The Dean's Yard property is now part of Westminster School. The Dover Street property was constructed by the 2nd Earl, John Ashburnham (1724-1812).

These papers were collected for their general or antiquarian interest and relevance to the local history of Middlesex, rather than having a united provenance (that is, being produced by the same institution or business).

The Christmas cards are from Sir James Boyton, M.P. for Marylebone; Henry John Yeend-King, landscape painter and Royal Academician; and Adrian Jones, sculptor and Royal Academician.

The Berkeley family's seat was at Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire built in 1153 by Lord Maurice Berkeley. Lord Berkeley of Stratton (died 1678) ran the Duke of York's household and built himself a magnificent London house in Piccadilly. His descendants laid out Berkeley Square in the grounds. In 1679 George Berkeley made first Earl of Berkeley by King Charles II.

The fifth Earl of Berkeley, Frederick Augustus (1745-1810) took Mary Cole, a butcher's daughter as his mistress. In 1796 they married, Mary having borne the earl five children and later that year their legitimate son Thomas Moreton was born. Mary was anxious about the legitimacy of her adored eldest son William Fitzharding (1786-1857). In 1799 she and the Earl forged the Berkeley parish register with a false entry for a secret marriage 1785 to make all their children legitimate. On the death of the earl in 1810, the Berkeley Peerage Case was heard in the House of Lords and in 1811 the earldom passed to Thomas Moreton. In 1841 William Fitzharding was given the title Earl Fitzhardinge.

The family held estates throughout England.

Stanmore Hall, Great Stanmore, was purchased by Robert Hollond, MP, in 1847 and his wife Ellen Julia Hollond, authoress and founder of London's first créche.

From: 'Great Stanmore: Introduction', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 88-96.

In 1719 Henry Gough, M.P., a director of the East India Company, purchased a house in Enfield. His son Richard, an antiquary (1735-1809), recalled many pleasing hours of research in his native parish. The house, which became known as Gough Park, was demolished in 1899.

From: 'Enfield: Growth before 1850', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 212-218.

Old Oak Common in Acton had three wells which were said to have medicinal properties and were briefly fashionable in the eighteenth century.

'Viscount Melbourne' is probably Peniston Lamb (1745-1828), a substantial landowner in Derbyshire and Hertfordshire, for many years an MP, and from 1770 an Irish peer as first Baron Melbourne (Viscount Melbourne from 1781). His son William Lamb became Prime Minister as the second Viscount Melborne.

48th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers was a Temperance Corps, composed of men who had pledged not to drink any alcohol. The 48th Middlesex were originally the 24th Surrey Rifle Volunteers, but were refounded as a Middlesex battalion in 1862.

George Cruikshank was a graphic artist well known for his political and social caricatures and his collaboration with Charles Dickens on Sketches by Boz. From around 1847 Cruikshank was a supporter of the temperance movement, producing propaganda for this cause, speaking at meetings and sitting on the boards of organisations such as the London Temperance League. In 1859 the threat of a French invasion let to the formation of volunteer corps. Cruikshank supported these corps in a pamphlet published in 1860 entitled A Pop-Gun. He joined the 48th Middlesex corps and rose to become their lieutenant-colonel and commanding officer. However the corps encountered many problems, primarily from lack of money, discipline and motivation; and Cruikshank resigned in September 1868.

For more information on Cruikshank see Robert L. Patten, 'Cruikshank, George (1792-1878)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004.

Each parish was obliged to elect Overseers of the Poor by the Poor Law Act of 1598 and the Poor Relief Act of 1601. The Overseers were responsible for collecting the poor rate from inhabitants of the parish, and using the rate to relieve local paupers, including running a workhouse if they so chose. The Clerk of the Peace was responsible for keeping the records of Quarter Sessions for each county.

Saint Mary the Virgin is an ancient parish within Hampton Deanery, which is within the Kensington Area of the Diocese of London. The following parishes were cleaved from the ancient parish: Holy Trinity, Twickenham Common (1842); Saint Stephen, East Twickenham (1875); Twickenham, All Saints (1914) and Twickenham, All Hallows (1939). The parish of Saint Philip and Saint Paul, Whitton, was also created from Saint Mary's in 1862. Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Whitton, was created as a London Diocesan Home Mission church in 1935, within the parish of Saint Philip and Saint Paul, and became a separate parish in 1958.

The church of Saint Mary the Virgin was rebuilt in 1714-15 by John James, who was one of the surveyors to Queen Anne's Fifty New Churches project. Its structure is of red brick with Tuscan pilasters surmounted by a pediments. There is an early 16th century bell, three from the 17th century and four from the 18th century. The church was enlarged again in 1754. There are many original fittings including the gallery fronts and reredos and also monuments: a mediaeval monument brass of 1443 to Richard Burton, the King's chief cook. There is a monument to Alexander Pope and his parent (Pope and his mother are buried here).