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The Foundling Hospital was established by Royal Charter on 17 October 1739 by Thomas Coram as a refuge for abandoned, illegitimate children. The Hospital was laid in Lamb's Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, an as yet undeveloped area beyond the city. Admission to the Hospital was initially restricted because of the lack of funds. Infants were to be less than two months old and in good health to qualify for entry, and admissions were made on a first come first served basis. Once a child had been accepted he or she was baptised and thereby given a new name. The child was then boarded out to a dry or wet nurse in the country. These nurses were mostly in the Home Counties but could be as far away as West Yorkshire or Shropshire. The nurses were monitored by voluntary inspectors. On reaching 3 years of age, the child was returned to the Hospital to receive basic schooling and he or she would remain there until apprenticed out to trades or service, or enlisted in the armed forces.

From 1760 a new system was adopted which involved mothers submitting written petitions to the Hospital which were then assessed by committee. This petition system formed the basis of all subsequent admissions to the Hospital and the survival of these petitions in the collection provides a valuable insight into the backgrounds and circumstances of the mothers.

Consultation of the Hospital records held at LMA (reference A/FH) reveals the story of Mary Green's admission. According to the petition document (A/FH/A/08/001/002/023) her mother, Ann Moore of 26 Salsbury Street, Bermondsey, was an unmarried 19 year old. She had been working as a housemaid at the house of Mr Morgan, a surgeon, where she was seduced by his assistant Thomas Parkin, who "talked of marriage but never promised her". Before the pregnancy was revealed Mr Morgan fired Parkin for "disorderly conduct" and his mounting debts; while Ann was made redundant along with all the other servants in an attempt to solve disagreements among the staff. She was given a good character reference and found a new position with Mrs Sarah Peacock. On the 14 September 1814 she was "delivered of a female child". The father could not be traced. Mrs Peacock sponsored her petition to the Foundling Hospital, describing her as honest, sober, obliging and clean.

The baby was admitted to the Hospital on 12 November 1814, aged 2 months, and given the name Mary Green (general register, A/FH/A/09/002/005). She was sent into the country to a wet nurse, and was confirmed in June 1829. Mary was apprenticed in December 1829 to merchant Louis Perrottet of No 4 North Crescent, Bedford Square, "to be instructed in household business" (apprenticeship register, A/FH/A/12/003/002). Jane Taunton, another foundling who was admitted only a few days before Mary was also apprenticed to Perrottet. Their apprenticeship indentures expired in September 1835.

The Central British Fund for World Jewish Relief was founded in the early months of 1933 by a group of Anglo-Jewish community leaders, in response to the appointment of Adolph Hitler as Chancellor of Germany on a platform of anti-Semitism. Among the founders were Antony de Rothschild, Leonard G. Montefiore and Otto Schiff.

The Fund has been through many name changes in its lifetime. It started out as the Central British Fund for German Jewry, then became part of the new Council for German Jewry in 1936 along with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the American United Palestine Appeal. On the outbreak of World War Two in 1939 the Fund changed its name to the Central Council for Jewish Refugees, and in 1944 changed again to the Central British Fund for World Jewish Relief. After many years as the Central British Fund for World Jewish Relief, the organisation is now known as World Jewish Relief.

The Fund's mission, according to its Memorandum of Association, was "to relieve or assist Jewish refugees in any part of the world in such manner and on such terms and conditions (if any) as may be thought fit." In this work the fund was aided by various organisations, including the Jewish Refugees Committee (JRC) which was founded by Otto Schiff in 1933; the Children's Refugee Movement (established by the JRC and the Inter-Aid Committee); and the Jewish Committee for Relief Abroad, which was established in 1943 and financed by the Central Council for Jewish Refugees (as the Central British Fund was then known).

Israel Brodie was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and was educated at Rutherford College, University College London, Jews College and Balliol College, Oxford. Between 1917 and 1919 Brodie served as a chaplain in France and Belgium. After the war he returned to Oxford and also worked as a chaplain and counsellor in the east end of London. He was ordained in 1923 and then moved to Australia to head the Jewish ecclesiastical court in Victoria. During his time there he visited all Jewish congregations on that continent.

Israel Brodie returned to England at the end of the 1930s to become a senior lecturer at Jews' College. He entered into military chaplaincy on the outbreak of war and served in France and the Middle East. For a short period after the war he served as Principal of Jews' College; in 1948 he succeeded Joseph Hertz as Chief Rabbi.

He was by temperament a more peaceable character than his predecessor. Israel Brodie was energetic in working to advance the cause of the new state of Israel and in efforts for the reconstruction of the remnants of European Jewry. Improvements in air travel meant that he was able to tour provincial and overseas communities and congregations frequently. He visited Israel many times and supported the foundation of the Bar-Ilan University where a chair was endowed in his honour. In 1957 Brodie convened a standing conference of European rabbis of which he long remained President.

Israel Brodie faced what was probably his greatest crisis in the 1960s. In 1962 he vetoed the return of Rabbi Dr. Louis Jacobs to be Minister of the New West End Synagogue. Dr. Jacobs, a notable scholar, had a few years earlier left that position in order to assume at the Chief Rabbi's invitation the post of tutor at Jews' College. Following differences connected with Jacobs' theological and doctrinal opinions (which he had made before his appointment to the College), he had retired from the College. The New West End Synagogue now defied Brodie and a majority confirmed Jacobs' re-appointment. A public debate about the powers of the Chief Rabbinate broke out. Finally, the Board of Management of the New West End Synagogue were dismissed by the Council of the United Synagogue; Jacobs and many of his followers broke away from the New West End Synagogue to form the independent New London Synagogue which became the nucleus of the Masorti movement in Britain.

Israel Brodie retired in 1965, the first Chief Rabbi to leave office by retirement. During retirement he was knighted and he died on the 13th of February 1979.

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.

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

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

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

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

The Middlesex County Staff Club was formed in 1911 by members of the staff of the Middlesex County Council. It was admitted to NALGO in the same year. After an hiatus during the war years it was reformed as the Middlesex County Officers' Association in 1919 and became the Middlesex County Branch of NALGO. It ceased to exist on the abolition of Middlesex County Council in 1965. The Association was managed by an Executive Committee ("Council" from 1949).

George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, was born in 1628, son of royal favourite George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. After his father was murdered George and his brother were brought up in the royal nursery with the King's children. They took the Royalist side during the Civil War, and George's brother was killed in action. After the war George fled England and became part of Charles II's court in exile. After the Restoration he gained a reputation for intrigue as a courtier and politician. He died in 1687.

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.

Victor Albert George Child-Villiers, 7th Earl of Jersey, was born in 1845, son of the 6th Earl of Jersey, George Augustus Frederick Child-Villiers, and his wife Julia. Victor was educated at Eton and Oxford. He was the governor of New South Wales from 1890-1892, but on his return he did not hold major public office, preferring local positions in Oxfordshire and Middlesex. He was the principal proprietor of Child's Bank.

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.

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.

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

The West London Synagogue of British Jews was organised in April 1840 to establish a "synagogue where a revised service may be performed at hours more suited to our habits and in a manner more calculated to inspire feelings of devotion, where religious instruction may be afforded by competent persons, and where, to effect these purposes Jews generally may form a united congregation under the denomination of British Jews". It is a constituent member of the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain and remains the oldest and best known Reform congregation in the UK. The synagogue is situated in Upper Berkeley Street, Marylebone, W1 and was constructed in 1870.

The Benevolent Society of St Patrick was established in 1783 to provide charitable relief to poor and distressed Irish living in and around London. It was amalgamated with the older Irish Charitable Society (founded 1704) in 1787. In providing relief no religious or political distinctions were to be made. Children were particularly the objects of the Society's care. Assistance in clothing and education were regularly given. In 1820 the Society opened its own schools in Stamford Street. These were closed in 1921. The Society reviewed its activities and started to give grants to young Irish men and women 'of good conduct and industry' and to elderly Irish people. In addition grants were given towards hospital beds. After 1948 grants were regularly given to assist the unemployed and other Irish families in need. The Society has long enjoyed royal patronage.

Under the will of Sarah Rachael Titford of Walworth, who died in 1843, a trust was established to pay charitable pensions to 'poor widows' and 'poor maiden women' residing in London, Westminster and Southwark. A bequest from Miss Rutt of Upper Clapton in 1907, for similar charitable purposes, was additionally administered by the trustees.

This material contains an unbroken set of minutes of the London Teachers Association, formed in 1932 and known as the "County Association of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) for London." They contain members explicit views on the expansion of post-war secondary education, the development of comprehensive education, as well as routine union business. There are also documents relating to the career of teacher, William Pratt Anderson, son of the founder of the N.U.T. Included also are 2 volumes of minutes of the Middlesex Teachers Association, (see ACC/916 for a larger number of MTA minutes, reports and policy files 1946-1963).

The LTA lost its local authority in 1966 and was amalgamated into the NUT. The national union then ran its affairs with representation from London members and the Middlesex and Essex Associations, also known as the Extra-Metropolitan Associations.

The Jewish Bread Meat and Coal Society was established in 1779 as the "Society for Distributing Bread Meat and Coal Amongst the Jewish Poor During the Winter Season" (Hebrew: Meshebat Naphesh). It is the oldest charity in the UK to be founded by the Ashkenazi Jews. Prominent among the founders of the charity were Mr Levy Barent Cohen, who became its first President.

The charity was managed by Committee, and subscribers had the chance to nominate deserving causes for aid. Also, large annual dinners were held, at which donations were made to chaitable funds.

As in Hayes the first industry to make its appearance in Norwood was brick-making. As early as 1697 a London tiler and bricklayer, Robert Browne, had bought 3 acres in Bulls Bridge Field, Hayes, and in South Field, Norwood. That the brick-making industry grew in the 19th century was due to the opening of the Grand Junction Canal in 1796 and of the Paddington Canal five years later. The industry was slightly later in developing in Norwood than in Hayes and in 1821 there was only one small brick-field near Wolf Bridge. In 1826 John Nash, the architect and builder, was licensed by Lord Jersey to dig brickearth in East Field, and apparently he also made his bricks in Norwood. These are said to have been too rough and uneven for anything but thick walls. Nash supplied a great number of bricks for Buckingham Palace and may have sent some from Norwood.

In 1859 a Holborn builder developed a 14-acre brick-field in Norwood, paying Lord Jersey a royalty of 1shilling 6 pence on every thousand bricks over 2,666,666 a year. He also erected labourers' cottages on the site and built a dock on the canal. In the 1860s the St. John's parochial school at Southall Green drew most of its pupils from the brick-makers. The school numbers fluctuated, which may indicate a rapid turn-over of labour, and the speedy working-out of the brickfields.

The Southall Brick Co. was in existence by 1874 and three other brick-making firms were centred on the Green in Southall. At the end of the 19th century a 28-acre brick-field was opened in North Road, Southall, by Thomas Watson and between 1899 and 1901 this produced well over 2 million bricks a year. A site for a brick-field in Havelock Road was advertised for sale in 1903, and a brick-field behind Tudor Road was causing such smells in 1906 that there were complaints at a council meeting. A new brick-field in North Road was let as late as 1910 at 2s. a thousand bricks, and the East Acton Brick Co. held property at least until 1926. In the late 19th century some gravel was also extracted.

From: 'Norwood, including Southall: Economic and social history', 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. 45-48.

Edward Ind purchased the Star Inn, Romford, Essex in 1799, and built a brewhouse on the site. In 1845 he went into partnership with brothers Octavius and George Coope. From 1856 the business was known as Ind Coope and Company. In the same year the company opened another brewery in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire.

The company went into recievership in 1909 and was subsequently re-registered in 1912 as Ind Coope and Co. (1912) Ltd. The (1912) was dropped from the name in 1923. After merging with Samuel Allsopp and Sons Ltd in 1934, the company name was changed again to Ind Coope and Allsopp Ltd and then to Ind Coope Ltd in 1959. In 1961 the company merged with Tetley Walker Ltd and Ansells Brewery Ltd to form Ind Coope Tetley Answell Ltd, later Allied Breweries Ltd. The company is now part of the Carlsberg-Tetley group.

The United Hospitals' Club, the second oldest medical dining club in London, was established on 14 February 1828, shortly after the separation in 1825 of the formerly united medical schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals. The rules stated that the club "shall consist of Physicians, Surgeons and Apothecaries, in actual practice, who have been educated either at St Thomas's or Guy's Hospitals". The number of members was limited to twenty-five. Four meetings were held a year at which each member could introduce not more than two professional visitors. Originally most of the members were former students, but by 1936 the club was "made up of equal numbers of the staffs and general practitioners of St Thomas's and Guy's" (from F.G. Parsons, The History of St Thomas's Hospital, vol. III p.68).

A history of the United Hospitals' Club was written in 1928 by Cuthbert Golding-Bird.

The Jewish Memorial Council was founded in 1919 on the initiative of Sir Robert Waley Cohen, F.C. Stern, Lord Swaythling, and Major Lionel de Rothschild. A public meeting was held in Central Hall, Westminster on 11 June 1919 to approve and undertake a scheme to raise a fund to establish a permanent war memorial to the Jews of the British Empire who had served in the 1914-1918 war. This was applied to the following objectives:

1 The endowment of Jewish religious education;
2 The building and endowment of a Jewish Theological College at Oxford or Cambridge to which, in accordance with the resolution of its Council, the present Jews College (later London School of Jewish Studies) would be transferred;
3 The making of further provision for the Jewish ministry.

The first Council meeting was held in November 1919. Although the second objective was never achieved, the Jewish Memorial War Council (renamed Jewish Memorial Council in 1931) was able to promote Jewish religious education and welfare with a great variety of activities. Hebrew classes throughout the country were inspected and encouraged.

The Council administered the Synagogue Provident and Pensions Fund, which was a superannuation fund for all congregational officials in the British Commonwealth. In 1923 the Union of Jewish Women presented the Mrs Nathaniel Louis Cohen Library to the Council thus establishing its library. In co-operation with Jews' College and the United Synagogue the Council decided to build a Jewish Communal Centre, Woburn House, which opened in 1932. As well as providing accommodation for Jews' College and office space for all three organisations, it contained two halls for meetings, and the Jewish Museum established in 1932 by Wilfred Samuel and Dr Cecil Roth under the auspices of the Council.

The Council also gave grants to Jews' College and was represented on its Council. In the 1920s-30s it nominated students for admission to Aria College, Southsea, which was intended as a preparatory college for Jews' College. It gave grants for teacher training and established the Central Council for Jewish Religious Education. A Book Department purchased books of Jewish interest and sold them at a discount to synagogues, teachers and students.

The Council awarded grants and scholarships out of its own resources as well as administering other scholarship funds. These included the Cambridge Jewish Exhibition founded in 1899 to assist a needy Jewish student at Cambridge University, the Alfred Louis Cohen Scholarship established in 1904 to assist students preparing for the Jewish Ministry, and the Sir Robert Waley Cohen Memorial Scholarship. Sir Robert was "the principal architect of the Jewish Memorial Council and for over thirty years its presiding genius" (tribute by Dr George Webber, Annual General Meeting of the Jewish Memorial Council 14 July 1977 ACC/2999/A/1/1). He served as Chairman of the Executive Committee from 1919 to 1947 and President of the Council from 1947 until his death in 1952. In his memory his family and friends raised £10,000 to establish the Sir Robert Waley Cohen Memorial Scholarship to provide Jewish ministers from the British Commonwealth with travelling scholarships to pursue Jewish studies. Reports on their work were to be kept in the Council Library.

After the Second World War the problem of small Jewish communities with insufficient resources to maintain a minister or provide religious education for their children aroused growing concern. In 1948 the Council agreed to set up a Small Communities Committee to give grants to these communities, to visit them and report on their needs. In 1962 the Reverend Malcolm Weisman was appointed visiting minister to small communities whose number continued to increase with the dispersal of the Jewish population from large urban centres to rural areas.

In 1978-79 the Council suffered a financial crisis caused by losses incurred by the bookshop. This necessitated a reduction in the scale of its activities including the transfer of its library to Jews' College, a reduction in the reward of grants and scholarships and the closure of the bookshop. However many aspects of its work continued to flourish, including the Pensions Fund, the Reverend Weisman's assistance to small communities, religious education for Jewish boarders at public schools, and the inspection and advice given to provincial Hebrew classes. This last responsibility was handed over from the Central Council for Jewish Religious Education in 1976.

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.

According to a letter heading in the first minute book, the firm was established in 1908. Trade directories show Caffin and Company having an office in Craven Street, just off the Strand, from 1912, at which date the firm was described as 'Railway Contractors'. The firm was incorporated in 1921.

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.

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.

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.

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

The Gimbert family, as they appear in this collection, originate in Saint Ives, county of Huntingdonshire. They are later found in the counties of London, Middlesex, Surrey, Kent and Oxfordshire.

William Furgoose Gimbert (c. 1825-1884);
Francis Hunt Gimbert (1847-1925) (son of William Furgoose);
Francis Alexander Gimbert (1874-1944) (son of Francis Hunt);
William Alphonso Gimbert (1875/6-1963) (son of Francis Hunt);
Henry Francis Gimbert (1900-c.1983) (son of William Alphonso);
George Arthur Gimbert (born 1916) (son of William Alphonso);
Madeline (nee Gimbert) May (born 1914) (daughter of William Alphonso).

The National Licensed Victuallers Association was formed from the merger of a number of smaller bodies, such as the National Union of Licensed Victuallers (which itself was formed from the union of the Licensed Victuallers Central Protection Society of London and the Licensed Victuallers Defence League).

The various associations had similar aims - to protect the business interests of licensed victuallers (holders of a licence to run a public house) and to act as lobbying bodies on their behalf. This included protecting the interests of tenant landlords (many pubs were owned by breweries who rented them to the publican) and defending the trade on a national level, from the temperance movement and the government who often attempted to tighten licensing controls.

The original registered office of Hagenbach Properties Limited was at 2 King Street, Wakefield. This frequently changed as did the place of meeting. Projects tended to be in Cornwall and West Yorkshire. Later meetings were held at 24 North Row, W1 and at Park Street, W1.

The registered office was at 57 Berners Street, London W1. The Company patented indicating and advertising devices.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

The firm of Collyer Bristow and Company, solicitors of 4 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4DF, has been in existence, albeit under different names, since the late 18th Century. The earliest document in this collection dates from 1781, when the partners were Dyneley, Bell and Dyneley.

In the mid-19th Century a member of the Collyer Bristow family joined the company, at which time it was known as Coverdale, Lee and Collyer Bristow. Between 1876 and 1922 a succession of partners passed through the firm, it became first Collyer Bristow, Withers and Russell, then Collyer Bristow, Hill, Curtis and Dodds and Collyer Bristow, Curtis, Booth , Birks and Langley, before setting on Collyer Bristow and Company in 1922.

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

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

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

The Netherleigh Arms Coffee Tavern was established as a temperance public house in 1893.

The Colne Valley Water Company Plc was a statutory water company supplying parts of South West Hertfordshire from 1873 to 1994. In 1994 it merged into Three Valleys Water. Stanmore is in Harrow, North London, close to the border with Hertfordshire.

Brigadier Hill House was was built on Brigadier Hill in the eighteenth century. It has now been demolished.

Howard Landsell was born in 1923 in Teddington. He went to Hampton Wick Junior School and subsequently to Hampton Grammar School. He left school in July 1939. After was service in the Merchant Navy he became office manager at Tolworth Brickworks. Subsequent posts included Company Secretary of C and T Remote Control Products. Howard Lansdell died in 1990.

1787: John Courage, a shipping agent, purchased a brewery at Horsleydown, Southwark, London
1800: firm carried on after John Courage died by his senior clerk, John Donaldson, and is known as Courage and Donaldson
1851: Donaldson family withdrew from management and John Courage junior and his sons Robert and John take over the business
1887: output exceeded 300,000 barrels a year
1888: Courage and Company registered as a limited liability company
1903-1943: followed policy of expansion, acquiring 7 breweries and their associated licensed public houses
1955: merged with another Southwark brewery, Barclay, Perkins and Company Ltd, forming a new company, Courage and Barclay Ltd
1960: acquired H and G Simonds Ltd of Reading, Berkshire and changed name to Courage, Barclay and Simonds Ltd
1956-1970: continued to expand, acquiring 14 other breweries
1970: changed name to Courage Ltd
1972: acquired by Imperial Tobacco Group Ltd for £320 million, changed name to Imperial Brewing and Leisure Ltd.
1986: Imperial Group aquired by Hanson Trust plc, which sold Courage Ltd as a separate concern to Elders IXL, the Australian conglomerate.

Watney Combe Reid and Company Ltd was formed in 1898 when a merger was negotiated between Watney and Co Ltd of the Stag Brewery, Pimlico; Combe and Co Ltd of the Wood Yard Brewery, Long Acre and Reid's Brewery Co Ltd, of the Griffin Brewery, Clerkenwell. Following the merger the company was the largest brewing concern in the United Kingdom, and was based at Watney's Stag Brewery in Pimlico. The Stag Brewhouse and Brewery, Pimlico, was founded in 1636 by John Greene and his son Sir William Greene. In 1837 James Watney, a miller, bought a quarter share in the Stag Brewery, alongside John Elliot. From 1849 the firm was known as Elliot, Watney and Co. John Elliot withdrew from the business in 1850, remaining a partner in name only until 1858 when he retired. The firm became known as James Watney and Co. In 1885 Watney and Co Ltd was registered as a limited liability company. Combe and Co Ltd was founded in 1722 by John Shackley in a former timber yard off Long Acre, London. In 1739 the business was acquired by William Gyfford who enlarged the premises, trading as Gyfford and Co. In 1787 the brewery was purchased by Harvey Christian Combe, a malt factor, but it was not until 1839 that the firm began to trade as Combe and Co. The Wood Yard Brewery closed in 1905 but the Combe family continued to take a major role in the management of Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd. In 1757 Richard Meux and Mungo Murray acquired the Jackson's Brewery in Mercer Street. When this was damaged in a major fire they constructed new premises at Liquorpond Street (now Clerkenwell Road). In 1793 Andrew Reid joined the business which became known as Meux, Reid and Co. In 1816 the Meux family left the business which changed its name to Reid and Co. The company was registered in 1888 as Reid's Brewery Co Ltd. On the merger with Watney and Combe it ceased to brew. In 1956 Watney, Combe, Reid and Co Ltd decided that the Stag Brewery offered no further scope for expansion. Mann, Crossman and Paulin Ltd of Whitechapel was acquired to provide a new London brewery, and the company name was changed to Watney Mann Ltd.

Prior Burners were based at 2 Brandon Road, York Road, St Pancras, London. They were manufacturers of furnaces and boilers.

The Associated Coal and Wharf Company Ltd were involved in the transport, handling, preparation and delivery of domestic coals in the South of England. They were based at 4 St Dunstans Alley, EC3 and later 4 Fenchurch Avenue, EC3.

The National Union of Vehicle Builders was founded in 1919 on the merger of several smaller societies such as the London and Provincial Coachmakers' Society and the United Kingdom Society of Coachmakers. It represented the manufacturers of coaches and cars, and related trades such as smiths and wheelwrights. The union merged with the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1972.

Early water supply to the city of London came directly from wells and rivers. However, as early as 1236 the fresh water supply was dwindling as the number of residents in the city increased; and works began to bring in fresh water from outside the city. The era of free water gave way to the era of commercial supply with the foundation of the New River Company (1612) and the London Bridge Waterworks (1581). Chelsea Waterworks Company was founded in 1723, and in 1746 laid the first iron water main (pipes were previously made of wood or lead). The Southwark Water Company was founded in 1760, the Lambeth Water Works Company in 1785, the Vauxhall Water Company in 1805, the West Middlesex Waterworks Company in 1806, the East London Waterworks Company in 1807, the Kent Waterworks Company in 1809 and the Grand Junction Waterworks Company in 1811.

It was not until 1902 that the Metropolis Water Act was passed, leading to the creation of the Metropolitan Water Board. This took over eight private water companies, taking over the New River Company headquarters on Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell. The board was made up of 66 delegated members, 14 from the London County Council, 31 from the Metropolitan Borough Councils and City Corporation, and 21 from the authorities of localities outside the water companies' areas. From 1907 widespread reservoir and waterworks building was carried out.

From 1974 the administration of the Metropolitan Water Board was transferred to the new Thames Water Authority. In 1989 Thames Water became a private company and set up a principal operating subsidiary, Thames Water Utilities Limited, to supply water and sewerage services.

The Belgravia Dairy Company were based at St Petersburgh Place, Kensington, with outlets in Bayswater.

Leslie R. Wolfson was born in March 1911. Between 1928 and 1932 he attended the Liverpool Dental School of Liverpool University, and in 1933 he bought a small dental practice at Priory Road, Anfield, Liverpool, where he worked until August 1934. He then became employed by the Co-operative Dental Association, being placed in charge of a surgery at Enfield Wash, Middlesex.

In 1935 he married Dr. Estelle Roekin and they moved to 1 The Grangeway, Grange Park, Winchmore Hill N21 where Dr. Roekin set up in medical practice. However, due to illness she had to close the practice in 1944. Mr. Wolfson opened his own dental practice in the vacant rooms at Grange Park. He was asked to help Mr. Grimshaw, a registered dentist, who had fallen ill, and worked partly at 340 Baker Street, Enfield. By 1949 Mr. Grimshaw became to ill to work and Mr. Wolfson eventually bought the practice from him, thus transferring his whole practice from Grange Park to Baker Street. He remained there doing only National Health work until his retirement in 1978.

Morgan Crucible was originally called the "Patent Plumbago Crucible Company". It was founded in 1856 selling imported crucibles. The company later began to manufacture crucibles and other foundry products from their factory in Battersea. It continues to produce technical and insulating ceramics and carbon for various industries.

A 'mealman' is a person who deals in flour.

Alexander Duckham and Co Ltd were lubricant manufacturers of 346 Kensington High Street.

A 'colour-man' was a dealer in paints or 'colours'.

Sir Matthew Blakiston, 1st Baronet (c. 1702 - 14 July 1774) was a merchant and grocer. He was an Alderman of London from 1750 to 1769, was elected Sheriff of London in 1754 and became the 442nd Lord Mayor of London in 1761. Blakiston married firstly Margaret Hall, daughter of Reverend Charles Hall. His second wife Mary Blew died in 1754 and Blakiston married thirdly Annabella Bayley, daughter of Thomas Bayley, MP, on 8 April 1760. He had a son by his first wife and two sons by his third wife. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his second and only surving son Matthew

Bell's Match Factory was situated in Bromley-by-Bow. It was founded in 1832 by Richard Bell, and was the first match factory in Britain. It later merged with Bryant and May.

The Survey of London was founded in the 1890s by the arts and crafts architect and thinker C.R. Ashbee and its production was initially a volunteer effort. From the middle of the 20th century it came under the care successively of the London County Council, the Greater London Council and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of England, until it became part of English Heritage in 1999. Since October 2013 it has been part of the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London.

The Survey produces detailed architectural and topographical studies, which appear as large, sumptuously produced books and are the nearest thing to an official history of London's buildings. The books also appear online.

During the period when it was part of English Heritage, the Survey produced six volumes on four areas of London: Knightsbridge, Clerkenwell, Woolwich, Battersea, including a monograph on the Charterhouse and began work on a volume relating to Marylebone. The Survey of London provides essential reading for anyone wishing to find out about London's streets and buildings.

(information from www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/research/buildings/survey-of-london accessed 12 December 2013).

William Edward Brooks was born on 2 February 1879. He was educated at George Street School, Camberwell, which he left in February 1893 at the age of 14. He then obtained the first of a series of clerical posts while continuing his education, attending the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts and gaining Department of Science and Arts certificates for building construction and perspective. From September 1896 he was employed in the office of Benaniah Adkim, Surveyor.

In January 1898 he obtained the post of junior architectural assistant with George Vickery, working on large factories, warehouses and office buildings in the City of London. In 1899 he entered the Royal Academy Architectural Schools completing the full course as a prize winner. In 1902 he became an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects. In January 1900 he was appointed an architectural assistant in the Fire Brigade Branch of the London County Council Architect's Department, being promoted to the posts of first draughtsman in July 1900, sub divisional officer in February 1902, and acting divisional officer in January 1903. He played a large part in designing fire stations at Cannon Street in the City of London, Kensington, Lea Green, and Tooting.

William's father Edward Brooks had been appointed engineer at the Orange Street Baths, St Martin-in-the-Fields, in 1894. In October 1896 Edward Brooks became superintendent and engineer of Orange Street Baths while his wife, Ellen, became matron, the family moving from South London to Westminster. William Brooks became much involved with the church of St Martin-in-the -Fields where he met his wife and where he was married on 20 May 1907. From 1912 he and his family lived at 228 Sydenham Road, Croydon.

From 1916 to 1919 William served in the Royal Navy Air Service, later the Royal Air Force. He then returned for the LCC Architect's Department where in 1924 he was transferred to the Schools Section. From 1931 to 1934 he worked on housing, then from 1934 to 1939 he was assistant architect in charge of town planning. In 1939 he was appointed divisional Architect (constructional), and from 1941 he was second officer in the Department. He became a Fellow of the RIBA in 1937. He retired on 31 August 1944 and died on 10 March 1945.

It appears that William Hunt lost the Assizes case and was fined. The matter then went to the Court of Queen's Bench. The Court of King's Bench (or Queen's Bench, depending on the monarch) was founded circa 1200 to hear common pleas, although it came to specialise in pleas of special interest and concern to the king, such as those which involved his own property interests, or breach of his peace, or an error of judgment by another royal court. By 1675 the King's Bench was the highest court of common law in England and Wales, with jurisdiction over both civil and criminal actions. Civil business was conducted on the 'Plea Side' and criminal business on the 'Crown Side'. It was absorbed into the High Court in 1875 (source of information: The National Archives Research Guides Legal Records Information 34 and Legal Records Information 36).

The Municipal Reform Party was a local party allied to the Parliamentary Conservative Party. The party was been formed in 1906 in order to overturn Progressive and Labour control of much of London municipal government. It incorporated the Moderate Party, who had formed previous opposition to the Progressives on the county council.

The first elections for which the Municipal Reform Party stood were those to Metropolitan Borough councils, on 1 November 1906. The campaign was very successful, with Municipal Reformers winning control of twenty-two of twenty-eight councils. Following this success, the Party published a manifesto for the 1907 London County Council election. Policies included: tight controls on financial expenditure, proper auditing of municipal accounts, creation of a traffic board to coordinate transport in the capital, support of electricity provision by private enterprise and an education policy favouring denominational schools. The manifesto proved a success and the party took power from the Progressives.

They remained in power until 1934 when the Labour Party gained control of the Council. Between 1934 and 1946 the Municipal Reform Party formed the opposition on the council. From 1946 onwards Conservative candidates replaced the Municipal Reform Party.

The Hackney Carriages Proprietors Benevolent Fund (later the Hackney Carriage Proprietors' Provident Institution) was founded on 21st April 1873 at the Royal Repository, Barbican. As a result of working with carriages which had no coverings for drivers, Hackney Carriage Proprietors were liable to illness and subsequent financial problems. The Benevolent Fund intended to try and alleviate this distress. Proprietors who joined the Fund paid annual subscriptions and in return might receive annuities and could participate in excursions, theatre benefits and dinners. The Fund also provided financial support for members' widows and children.

The Charity was established under an Award dated 12 September 1814 in pursuance of an Act of Parliament dated 1804 for enclosing lands in the Parish of Ruislip.

Sixty acres were allotted to the use of cottagers whose rents did not exceed £5.00 per year. Administration was carried out by a representative committee, later Trustees. In 1880, 95 cottagers were licensed to pasture cattle on this land.

The company was established in 1900 by Messrs. F.R. Ridley and H. R. Houlding. It operated a wholesale fruit and vegetable business from 10 Russell Street, Covent Garden.

The general election of 1906 was held from 12 January to 8 February 1906. It was won in a landslide victory by the Liberal Party under Henry Campbell-Bannerman.

The 1907 London County Council elections were won by the Municipal Reform Party, who were allied with the Conservative party.

In 1953 a small group of friends whose birthdays all fell within the same month decided to hold a joint birthday party, which was a great success. Other parties were held for increasing numbers of dancers, until in August 1953 at a meeting held at the Royal Scottish Corporation Hall in Fetter Lane it was decided to form the Scottish Reel Club. Its aim was the promotion of Scottish Country Dances in London. Dances were held throughout the year, at which new and different dances were introduced. In its first year a membership of 69 was achieved.

From 1973 the Club met at St Columba's Church of Scotland in Pont Street, London SW1. In July 1990 it was decided that the Club should be wound up as a result of decreasing attendances at dances making them no longer financially viable.

William Willett was the founder of the Artistic Building Firm, a building and contracting business. He was born in Colchester in 1836. The business operated mainly in Hammersmith and Kensington, with their main office situated in Sloane Square. Willett retired in 1900 leaving the business to his son, William Willett junior. The Times newspaper noted that "the term "Willett-built" is a current expression in particulars of sale and it applies, broadly speaking, to a type of residence which is distinguished by individuality of design, both inside and out." Willett died in Hove in November 1913.

William Willett junior died in Chislehurst in March 1915, aged 58. As well as running the family business, he was also responsible for the daylight savings scheme where the clocks are moved forward in Spring and back in Autumn.

Information from The Times obituaries: Wednesday, Nov 12, 1913; pg. 11; Issue 40367; col D and Friday, Mar 05, 1915; pg. 10; Issue 40794; col E.

Hampstead Provident Dispensary was founded in 1846 by the Reverend Thomas Ainger and others as a sick relief club and self supporting dispensary with 53 members. Benefitted members, who had to be earning less than 25 shillings a week and not be in receipt of poor relief, paid a small weekly sum, while unbenefitted members paid large contributions. The Club was run by a committee of both types of members. By 1851 the membership had increased to 957.

Initially the Sick Club and Dispensary used rooms in New End Workhouse. In 1850 land was purchased at New End using money from collections in all Hampstead churches and chapels in thanksgiving for escaping cholera in 1849. After a further appeal a three storey building opened in 1853. In January 1879 the Hampstead Dispensary, situated in Heath Street, amalgamated with the Hampstead Provident Dispensary operating from the New End premises. A West Hampstead branch opened in 1888 at 33 Mill Lane.

After the passing of the National Insurance Act in 1911 the dispensary declined in importance. It closed in 1948 on the creation of the National Health Service and the dispensary building was sold in 1950.

The United Provident Institution was a friendly society founded in 1847 and with 529 members in 1897. The Reverend Thomas Ainger was an active member of the Committee for Promoting the United Provident Institution in Hampstead. Its Hampstead Local Board, whose activities included a Medical Relief Fund, held their meetings at the Dispensary.

Chocolate and sweet manufacturers based in London. The company founded overseas manufacturing interests in 1920s in Ireland (Clarnico-Murray Ltd, a joint venture) and Australia. In 1936, the firm was taken over by C. and E. Morton Limited. In 1945 Mortons was acquired by Beechams and together with other acquired companies in 1955 was renamed as Beecham Foods Limited. Beechams bought James Pascall Limited in 1959 which was merged with Murray. The Pascall Murray brand and business was later sold to Cadbury Fry in 1964.

Its main lines of production were in fudge, caramel and mints (including what were known as 'Murray Mints').

Registered office: Portsoken House, Minories, City of London (1946) with main offices and works at the Fleet Works, 57 Clerkenwell Road, Islington.

Sources: Beechams company history publication 'Beechams 1848-2000: From Pills to Penicillin', and ACC/3722/008.