The concept of the Court of Common Council grew from the ancient custom of the Folkmoot, when the assent of the citizens to important acts was obtained. This custom was continued by the Mayor who consulted the Commons several times during the 13th century. From 1376 the assembly began to meet regularly and was referred to as the Common Council. It was decided that the Council should be made up of persons elected from each Ward. By 1384 a permanent Common Council chosen by the citizens was established for all time. The Council assumed legislative functions and adopted financial powers, confirmed by Charters of 1377 and 1383. The Council has often used these powers to amend the civic constitution, regulate the election of Lord Mayor and other officials, and amend the functions of the City courts. The Council was judged so successful in the conduct of its duties that it was the only Corporation unreformed by Parliament following the Municipal Corporations Commission report of 1837, while the Corporation Inquiry Commission of 1854 suggested only minor reforms. The work of the Council is conducted by a number of committees, while the whole Council has the right to approve policy, confirm major decisions and sanction expenditure. The committees handle many aspects of the running of the City including land and estates, finance and valuation, open spaces, street improvement and town planning, public health, police, Port of London, civil defence, airports, libraries, markets, education, and law. The Town Clerk has held responsibility for recording the minutes of the Council and its committees since 1274.
The concept of the Court of Common Council grew from the ancient custom of the Folkmoot, when the assent of the citizens to important acts was obtained. This custom was continued by the Mayor who consulted the Commons several times during the 13th century. From 1376 the assembly began to meet regularly and was referred to as the Common Council. It was decided that the Council should be made up of persons elected from each Ward. By 1384 a permanent Common Council chosen by the citizens was established for all time. The Council assumed legislative functions and adopted financial powers, confirmed by Charters of 1377 and 1383. The Council has often used these powers to amend the civic constitution, regulate the election of Lord Mayor and other officials, and amend the functions of the City courts. The Council was judged so successful in the conduct of its duties that it was the only Corporation unreformed by Parliament following the Municipal Corporations Commission report of 1837, while the Corporation Inquiry Commission of 1854 suggested only minor reforms. The work of the Council is conducted by a number of committees, while the whole Council has the right to approve policy, confirm major decisions and sanction expenditure. The committees handle many aspects of the running of the City including land and estates, finance and valuation, open spaces, street improvement and town planning, public health, police, Port of London, civil defence, airports, libraries, markets, education, and law. The Town Clerk has held responsibility for recording the minutes of the Council and its committees since 1274.
The Bridge House Committee was responsible for the administration of the Bridge House Estates, land owned by the Corporation and leased out, providing revenue for the building and maintenance of bridges across the Thames. From 1274 Bridge Masters or Wardens were appointed by the Committee to receive rents, manage the estate and repair the bridges. The Bridge House Committee was not formed until 1592. The responsibilities of the Bridge Masters ceased in 1855 but the post remained open as an honorary office. The bridges built and maintained by the Bridge House Committee are London Bridge, Blackfriars Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Tower Bridge and the Millennium Footbridge.
The Barbican Management Committee was established on 6 January 1975 and was renamed the Barbican Residential Committee on 19 May 1978. The Committee's terms of reference were to take over the responsibility of the Barbican Committee for the management of all completed residential premises and ancillary accommodation (including the amenity rooms for the Barbican Association [also known as the Barbican Tenants' Association], launderette, car parks, etc.) as from 1 April 1975.
By 1987, almost half of the Barbican dwellings had been sold on long leases, which led to reform in the management of the Estate, particularly in respect of resident participation. Up until then, this had been manifested in the Barbican Joint Consultative Group, an informal meeting of representatives of the Committee and of the Barbican Association, without executive powers. The Barbican Residential Committee's constitution was altered with effect from January 1988, when it ceased to be a Ward Committee and became a Committee of 15 Members, 12 appointed by the Court of Common Council, plus one Alderman or Common Councilman from each of the 3 Barbican Wards of Aldersgate, Cripplegate Within and Cripplegate Without. By a Common Council resolution of 16 July 1987, a Barbican Estate Steering Group was formed, comprising 9 members of the reformed Barbican Residential Committee and 6 representatives elected by all the residents of the Barbican Estate (3 short term tenants and 3 long lessees). The first elections to it were held in December 1987, with meetings commencing early in 1988. The Steering Group had no executive powers as such, but met prior to the meetings of the Committee to consider the agenda and public reports of the Committee and to make recommendations on any item. In 1990, representation on the Steering Group was changed to 7 Members of the Barbican Residential Committee and 7 elected by residents. Further constitutional change occurred in 1994, following a report of consultants Price Waterhouse and the abolition of Standing Order 66, which had until then prevented Common Councilmen who were resident on the Estate (and therefore Corporation tenants) from serving on its management committee. The Barbican Residential Committee was therefore reconstituted to comprise 10 non-resident members appointed by the Court of Common Council with full speaking and voting rights plus 9 Members of the Corporation made up of 3 Members nominated by the Deputy of each of the 3 Barbican Wards (Aldersgate, Cripplegate Within and Cripplegate Without), with residents (the majority of the 9) having limited speaking and voting rights.
The concept of the Court of Common Council grew from the ancient custom of the Folkmoot, when the assent of the citizens to important acts was obtained. This custom was continued by the Mayor who consulted the Commons several times during the 13th century. From 1376 the assembly began to meet regularly and was referred to as the Common Council. It was decided that the Council should be made up of persons elected from each Ward. By 1384 a permanent Common Council chosen by the citizens was established for all time. The Council assumed legislative functions and adopted financial powers, confirmed by Charters of 1377 and 1383. The Council has often used these powers to amend the civic constitution, regulate the election of Lord Mayor and other officials, and amend the functions of the City courts. The Council was judged so successful in the conduct of its duties that it was the only Corporation unreformed by Parliament following the Municipal Corporations Commission report of 1837, while the Corporation Inquiry Commission of 1854 suggested only minor reforms. The work of the Council is conducted by a number of committees, while the whole Council has the right to approve policy, confirm major decisions and sanction expenditure. The committees handle many aspects of the running of the City including land and estates, finance and valuation, open spaces, street improvement and town planning, public health, police, Port of London, civil defence, airports, libraries, markets, education, and law. The Town Clerk has held responsibility for recording the minutes of the Council and its committees since 1274.
The 1831 version of London Bridge was unable to accommodate the increased traffic of the 20th century and was reconstructed in the 1960s, opening in 1973. The 1831 bridge was dismantled and shipped to Arizona where it was reconstructed over Lake Havasu. The City of London (Arizona) Corporation was founded in order to administrate the sale of the bridge and to foster stronger ties between Lake Havasu City and London, including the establishment of a scholarship programme enabling students from Arizona to visit London and meet the Lord Mayor.
The concept of the Court of Common Council grew from the ancient custom of the Folkmoot, when the assent of the citizens to important acts was obtained. This custom was continued by the Mayor who consulted the Commons several times during the 13th century. From 1376 the assembly began to meet regularly and was referred to as the Common Council. It was decided that the Council should be made up of persons elected from each Ward. By 1384 a permanent Common Council chosen by the citizens was established for all time. The Council assumed legislative functions and adopted financial powers, confirmed by Charters of 1377 and 1383. The Council has often used these powers to amend the civic constitution, regulate the election of Lord Mayor and other officials, and amend the functions of the City courts. The Council was judged so successful in the conduct of its duties that it was the only Corporation unreformed by Parliament following the Municipal Corporations Commission report of 1837, while the Corporation Inquiry Commission of 1854 suggested only minor reforms. The work of the Council is conducted by a number of committees, while the whole Council has the right to approve policy, confirm major decisions and sanction expenditure. The committees handle many aspects of the running of the City including land and estates, finance and valuation, open spaces, street improvement and town planning, public health, police, Port of London, civil defence, airports, libraries, markets, education, and law. The Town Clerk has held responsibility for recording the minutes of the Council and its committees since 1274.
The City of London Schools Committee administered the City of London School and the City of London School for Girls. The City of London School was founded as a result of a bequest of John Carpenter, Town Clerk, for the education of four poor boys born in the City of London, and established at Honey Lane Market in 1837. It was moved to the Victoria Embankment in 1882. The City of London School for Girls was founded under a bequest by William Ward and opened in Carmelite Street, Victoria Embankment, in 1894.
In January 1970 the City of London Schools and Freemen's School Committees were amalgamated as the City of London Education Committee. In April 1973 this Committee was replaced by the Schools Committee which rarely met and was disbanded with effect from January 1980. The Committee also appointed a Board of Governors for each of the schools. From May 1973 there are separate minutes for each Board of Governors, who took over the administration of the schools.
The concept of the Court of Common Council grew from the ancient custom of the Folkmoot, when the assent of the citizens to important acts was obtained. This custom was continued by the Mayor who consulted the Commons several times during the 13th century. From 1376 the assembly began to meet regularly and was referred to as the Common Council. It was decided that the Council should be made up of persons elected from each Ward. By 1384 a permanent Common Council chosen by the citizens was established for all time. The Council assumed legislative functions and adopted financial powers, confirmed by Charters of 1377 and 1383. The Council has often used these powers to amend the civic constitution, regulate the election of Lord Mayor and other officials, and amend the functions of the City courts. The Council was judged so successful in the conduct of its duties that it was the only Corporation unreformed by Parliament following the Municipal Corporations Commission report of 1837, while the Corporation Inquiry Commission of 1854 suggested only minor reforms. The work of the Council is conducted by a number of committees, while the whole Council has the right to approve policy, confirm major decisions and sanction expenditure. The committees handle many aspects of the running of the City including land and estates, finance and valuation, open spaces, street improvement and town planning, public health, police, Port of London, civil defence, airports, libraries, markets, education, and law. The Town Clerk has held responsibility for recording the minutes of the Council and its committees since 1274.
The Corporation of London was enabled to prevent the enclosure of much of Epping Forest, Essex, by reason of common rights which it acquired as a result of the purchase of land at Ilford for the City of London Cemetery in 1854. Eleven years of continuous work at law and in Parliament between 1871 and 1882 resulted in some 5,500 acres being saved as open space, 3,000 acres of which consisted of waste lands purchased by the Corporation from lords of the manors. The Epping Forest Act 1878 constituted the Corporation as Conservators, acting through a committee consisting of twelve persons nominated by the Court of Common Council and four verderers elected by the Commoners of the Forest. This committee, formerly the Epping Forest Committee, and now called the Epping Forest and Open Spaces Committee, today also undertakes the management of some of the other open spaces outside the City owned and administered by the Corporation. Historic buildings within the Forest also administered by the Corporation include Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, Chingford (restored 1993); the Temple, Wanstead Park and the Shelter at Honey Lane. The committee changed its name from Epping Forest and Open Spaces Committee to the Epping Forest and Commons Committee from November 2004.
The concept of the Court of Common Council grew from the ancient custom of the Folkmoot, when the assent of the citizens to important acts was obtained. This custom was continued by the Mayor who consulted the Commons several times during the 13th century. From 1376 the assembly began to meet regularly and was referred to as the Common Council. It was decided that the Council should be made up of persons elected from each Ward. By 1384 a permanent Common Council chosen by the citizens was established for all time. The Council assumed legislative functions and adopted financial powers, confirmed by Charters of 1377 and 1383. The Council has often used these powers to amend the civic constitution, regulate the election of Lord Mayor and other officials, and amend the functions of the City courts. The Council was judged so successful in the conduct of its duties that it was the only Corporation unreformed by Parliament following the Municipal Corporations Commission report of 1837, while the Corporation Inquiry Commission of 1854 suggested only minor reforms. The work of the Council is conducted by a number of committees, while the whole Council has the right to approve policy, confirm major decisions and sanction expenditure. The committees handle many aspects of the running of the City including land and estates, finance and valuation, open spaces, street improvement and town planning, public health, police, Port of London, civil defence, airports, libraries, markets, education, and law. The Town Clerk has held responsibility for recording the minutes of the Council and its committees since 1274.
The Corporation of London frequently gives receptions and entertainments for royalty, foreign heads of state, for other bodies or to mark special occasions. The Entertainment Committee met on an ad-hoc basis to oversee the arrangements for specific special events, receptions, banquets and presentations, including state vists by foreign monarchs. They considered every aspect of the event including the budget, food, seating arrangements, presentation of gifts, decor and ceremonial details.
The concept of the Court of Common Council grew from the ancient custom of the Folkmoot, when the assent of the citizens to important acts was obtained. This custom was continued by the Mayor who consulted the Commons several times during the 13th century. From 1376 the assembly began to meet regularly and was referred to as the Common Council. It was decided that the Council should be made up of persons elected from each Ward. By 1384 a permanent Common Council chosen by the citizens was established for all time. The Council assumed legislative functions and adopted financial powers, confirmed by Charters of 1377 and 1383. The Council has often used these powers to amend the civic constitution, regulate the election of Lord Mayor and other officials, and amend the functions of the City courts. The Council was judged so successful in the conduct of its duties that it was the only Corporation unreformed by Parliament following the Municipal Corporations Commission report of 1837, while the Corporation Inquiry Commission of 1854 suggested only minor reforms. The work of the Council is conducted by a number of committees, while the whole Council has the right to approve policy, confirm major decisions and sanction expenditure. The committees handle many aspects of the running of the City including land and estates, finance and valuation, open spaces, street improvement and town planning, public health, police, Port of London, civil defence, airports, libraries, markets, education, and law. The Town Clerk has held responsibility for recording the minutes of the Council and its committees since 1274.
Food Control Committees were first formed in August 1917, at a time when the prices of food were rising rapidly. The Ministry of Food asked local authorities to appoint Food Control Committees under the Food Control Committee (Local Distribution) Order. Later, London was brought under a single rationing scheme for meat, butter and margarine which led to the adoption of a single rationing system for the whole country which remained in force until March 1921 when the Ministry of Food was closed and the Food Control Committees ceased to function.
Food Control Committees returned in World War Two to represent consumers in each Local Authority area and to provide efficient local administration and enforcement of the Ministry of Food's orders. Food Control Committees had the powers under the Food Control Committees (England, Wales, and Nothern Ireland) Enforcement Order, 1941, to prosecute before Courts of Summary Jurisdiction alleged offenders against the Statutory Orders and Instruments made by the Minister. They also handled applications for licences to sell by retail rationed (raw and cooked) meat, liquid milk and chocolate and sugar confectionary, for licences to operate commercial catering establishments and applications by voluntary canteen services and social welfare organisations such as youth clubs, Church social organisations and similar bodies for permits for certain rationed foods.
The concept of the Court of Common Council grew from the ancient custom of the Folkmoot, when the assent of the citizens to important acts was obtained. This custom was continued by the Mayor who consulted the Commons several times during the 13th century. From 1376 the assembly began to meet regularly and was referred to as the Common Council. It was decided that the Council should be made up of persons elected from each Ward. By 1384 a permanent Common Council chosen by the citizens was established for all time. The Council assumed legislative functions and adopted financial powers, confirmed by Charters of 1377 and 1383. The Council has often used these powers to amend the civic constitution, regulate the election of Lord Mayor and other officials, and amend the functions of the City courts. The Council was judged so successful in the conduct of its duties that it was the only Corporation unreformed by Parliament following the Municipal Corporations Commission report of 1837, while the Corporation Inquiry Commission of 1854 suggested only minor reforms. The work of the Council is conducted by a number of committees, while the whole Council has the right to approve policy, confirm major decisions and sanction expenditure. The committees handle many aspects of the running of the City including land and estates, finance and valuation, open spaces, street improvement and town planning, public health, police, Port of London, civil defence, airports, libraries, markets, education, and law. The Town Clerk has held responsibility for recording the minutes of the Council and its committees since 1274.
Billingsgate Market is the oldest of the markets owned by the Corporation of London. Originally fish was sold from stalls and sheds around the dock at Billingsgate. In 1850 a market building was constructed on Lower Thames Street but it proved to be inadequate and was demolished in 1873 to make way for the building which still stands today. Designed by Sir Horace Jones (who also designed Leadenhall and Smithfield markets), Billingsgate opened in 1876. The building is now a landmark Grade 2 listed structure. The Fish Supply Committee was formed to consider issues relating to the import and sale of fish in London.
The concept of the Court of Common Council grew from the ancient custom of the Folkmoot, when the assent of the citizens to important acts was obtained. This custom was continued by the Mayor who consulted the Commons several times during the 13th century. From 1376 the assembly began to meet regularly and was referred to as the Common Council. It was decided that the Council should be made up of persons elected from each Ward. By 1384 a permanent Common Council chosen by the citizens was established for all time. The Council assumed legislative functions and adopted financial powers, confirmed by Charters of 1377 and 1383. The Council has often used these powers to amend the civic constitution, regulate the election of Lord Mayor and other officials, and amend the functions of the City courts. The Council was judged so successful in the conduct of its duties that it was the only Corporation unreformed by Parliament following the Municipal Corporations Commission report of 1837, while the Corporation Inquiry Commission of 1854 suggested only minor reforms. The work of the Council is conducted by a number of committees, while the whole Council has the right to approve policy, confirm major decisions and sanction expenditure. The committees handle many aspects of the running of the City including land and estates, finance and valuation, open spaces, street improvement and town planning, public health, police, Port of London, civil defence, airports, libraries, markets, education, and law. The Town Clerk has held responsibility for recording the minutes of the Council and its committees since 1274.
The Improvements Committee was entrusted with the execution of various Acts of Parliament for the improvement of streets and public buildings, such as the Holborn Valley Improvement Act, 1864; the London Prison and Moorfields Improvement Act, 1812 the London (City) Improvement Act, 1847 (Cannon Street); the improvement of the entrance to the City at Temple Bar, 1793; making a new street between Holborn Circus and Clerkenwell Green and improvements to the Fleet Valley and Central Terminus.
The Bishop of London was held to exercise responsibility for Anglican churches overseas where no other bishop had been appointed. He retained responsibility for churches in northern and central Europe until 1980, but his jurisdiction in southern Europe ceased in 1842 on the creation of the diocese of Gibraltar. In 1980, the Bishop of London divested himself of all overseas jurisdiction and a new diocese of 'Gibraltar in Europe' was established.
The Anglican church of Saint Bernard was constructed in Wengen, Switzerland, in 1928 to meet the needs of English speaking tourists. It is managed by the Intercontinental Church Society.
The Church Missionary Society began activities in Western China in 1891, establishing an outpost in Chungking [Chongqing] in Szechwan [Sichuan] Province. By 1894 they had expanded to Mienchow, Chungpa, Anhsien, and Sintu. They were supervised by the Bishop of Mid-China, but he found it impossible to supervise a district which was geographically far removed from his own. Therefore a separate Diocese was created, and the Reverend William Wharton Cassels was appointed Bishop in 1895.
The London Diocesan Penitentiary was formed after a gift of money to the Rev George Nugee in 1853, for the establishment of a house for the "reception and reformation of penitent fallen women". The sum involved was inadequate for the purpose and a public appeal for donations and subscriptions was made. A Council was appointed under the presidency of the Bishop of London on 20 March 1854, and an executive committee was formed.
Temporary accommodation was found at Hampton Court and then at Sunbury in 1855, but by the end of that year the lease had been acquired on Park House, Highgate. This property and adjoining land was subsequently purchased for £11,500 in 1861 and a mortgage raised to meet the cost; much of the adjoining land was later leased or sold for building and the money obtained used to assist paying off the mortgage.
The later history of the institution is uncertain, although in 1900 it was taken over by the Clewer sisters (an Anglican female religious community based in Clewer, Berkshire), and, at an unknown date, it became known as the House of Mercy. It was closed in 1940.
Edward Baker, mathematical instrument maker, was born in 1737. He was a freeman of the Merchant Taylor's Company.
George Boddington (1646-1719), Citizen and Clothworker, was a Levant merchant, of Little St. Helen's. He was also Governor of the Greenland Company from 1693, a director of the Bank of England from 1694 and Member of Parliament for Wilton, Wiltshire, 1702.
Thomas Boddington (1678-1755), son of George, was also a Levant merchant, of Leadenhall Street and Camberwell. Thomas Boddington junior was a linen draper of Cheapside. Benjamin Boddington (1698-1779) the son of George Boddington (1646-1719) and brother of Thomas Boddington (1678-1755), was also a Levant merchant, of Love Lane, Aldermanbury, and 17 Mark Lane.
Benjamin Boddington (1730-1791), a West India merchant and a director of the South Sea Company, of 17 Mark Lane and Enfield, Middlesex, was the son of Benjamin Boddington (1698-1779). Samuel Boddington, Citizen and Fishmonger, was a merchant, successively of 17 Mark Lane, 9 St. Helen's Place, and 31 Upper Brook Street, and the son of Benjamin Boddington (1730-1791).
Henry Butterworth senior was a timber merchant in Coventry. Henry Butterworth junior is well known as the founder of a publishing firm at 7 Fleet Street in 1818, later known as Butterworth and Company (Publishers). Shortly after 1836 he moved to Upper Tooting in Surrey. The business was taken over on his death by his second son, Joshua Whitehead Butterworth. In 1895 the firm was sold to Shaw and Sons.
Major Sir William Henry Champness was born in March 1873, the son of William John Champness. He married Elizabeth Butler in 1896 and had one son. Elizabeth died in 1939 and Champness married widow Ethel Harding in 1946. He lived at Knole Way, Sevenoaks, Kent. Champness was a solicitor who was involved in several City of London institutions. He was a Master of the Spectalemakers' Company and the Plumbers' Company; President of the City Livery Club; a governor of Bridewell and Bethlem Hospitals and the City and Guilds Institute; Chairman of various City Corporation Committees; a Sheriff of the City of London, 1937-38; one of the Lieutenants of the City from 1917; and an Alderman's Deputy from 1931. He was knighted in 1938. Champness conducted antiquarian research in his spare time and published histories of the Spectablemakers' Company and Plumbers' Company. He died in October 1956.
Biographical information from 'CHAMPNESS, Major Sir William Henry', Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920-2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U235642, accessed 1 June 2011].
Richard Clark was Alderman for Broad Street Ward 1776-98, Lord Mayor 1784-5 and Chamberlain of London 1798-1831. He died in 1831.
Valens Comyn was Clerk to the Chamberlain of St Paul's Cathedral (for his appointment in 1732 see CLC/313/C/001/MS25630/19, f.282); Stephen Comyn later became Steward of the cathedral estates (in 1757; see CLC/313/C/001/MS25630/4, f.132) but none of these records relate to St Paul's.
John Crowley, Citizen and Draper and Alderman of London, made a large fortune from his business as a dealer in iron goods. When he died in 1728, his widow Theodosia continued the business which was known in 1757 as Crowley and Company. Theodosia's daughter Elizabeth married the Earl of Ashburnham.
In the early 20th century, Reverend Edward Andrews Downman compiled notes on and plans of ancient earthworks in England (arranged by county).
Godwin was an alehouse-keeper, of 'The Crown', Crown Court, Fleet Street.
Joseph Jackson Howard, LLD, FSA, was Maltravers Herald of Arms Extraordinary and an antiquary, who lived in Blackheath, Kent.
Paul Jeffery (1927-1998) was an architectural historian and author of various publications on the City Churches, such as The city churches of Sir Christopher Wren (1996).
Richard Stuart Lane was a Baltic shipping agent and London-Baltic merchant of Lane, Hankey and Company, based at 251 Old Broad Street and 8 Chesham Place, SW.
Stephen Monteage was an accountant at the South Sea House and the Custom House.
Sir John Moore, 1620-1702, was Lord Mayor 1681-1682, President of Christ's Hospital 1686-1687 and 1688-1702, member of the East India Company Committee 1669-1701 and Master of the Grocers' Company 1671-2. He came originally from Appleby in Leicestershire where his family continued to live and was bound as an apprentice to the Grocers' Company in 1647. He was the most important lead merchant of his time in London, exporting lead from Derbyshire and Yorkshire through Hull to Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
He died in 1702 with no children (his wife Mary Maddocks had died in 1690) and his large fortune passed to his nephews John (son of Charles) Moore and John (son of George) Moore. The papers also contain letters to and from his heirs and later Moores. A family tree has been drawn up by archives staff (Ms 29447).
Amongst the papers of Sir John Moore and his family (in Mss 507 and 29446) there are a few papers of Colonel John Moore and his son Sir Edward Moore of Bankhall, Lancashire. Sir John Moore may have been a distant relative, but these items have become mixed up with his papers because he was a mortgagee of the Bankhall estates.
Engelbert David Ferdinand Pickert was a merchant and shipper of 79 Mark Lane. He died in 1864.
The brothers William (Bill) Pye (1870-1935), George R (Bob) Pye (1872-1945), and Ernest Pye (1876-1915), of Chadwell Heath, Essex, were renowned bell-ringers. Both William and Ernest Pye achieved over a thousand peals during their careers. As well as performing mainly in Essex and Middlesex, they travelled as far as Scotland and Ireland. William Pye was a celebrated conductor of bell-ringing and was the first ringer to conduct 1000 peals. The fourth brother, Alfred Pye (d 1939), was also a ringer, although not as well known as his brothers. The collection includes papers relating to William's son Ernest W (Ernie) Pye (d 1996) who also rang over 1000 peals.
These manuscripts were collected and compiled c 1937-52 by Wilfred S Samuel in connection with his research involving the daybook of Sir Charles Peers (1661-1737), Spanish merchant and Lord Mayor of London (1715-16) (see CLC/B/227/MS10187) and the journal of his protege Carleton Smith, kept during his service in charge of prisoners in Newgate who had participated in the Jacobite rebellion of 1715. The latter was borrowed from the Lord Mayor's descendant Sir Charles Peers (1868-1952), but was destroyed by enemy action in 1941. However a photocopy of it survives in this collection.
It is likely that this researcher is the same Wilfred S Samuel (d 1958) who was a prominent scholar of Jewish history, and a co-founder of the Jewish Museum.
Sir John Silvester was a lawyer who belonged to the Middle Temple. He was Common Sergeant of the City of London and, from 1803-22, Recorder of the City of London.
Sir William Smith, citizen and member of the Company of Waxchandler, was sheriff 1741-42 and alderman for Aldgate Ward 1747-52.
Sir Frederick Tidbury-Beer was born in 1892. He attended Temple Grove, Mercers' and King's College Schools before beginning work aged 13 as an office-boy. He entered the Stock Exchange as a clerk in 1911, then served in the First World War in the French Army Medical Service and with the Royal Air Force. After the war he resumed his business activities, and in 1922 became a member of the Stock Exchange. He was knighted in 1947.
Sir Frederick was an active participant in the local government of the City of London. He was Master of the Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers and of the Company of Parish Clerks. He sat on the Court of Common Council, 1940-1954, sitting on various Corporation committees particularly relating to post Second World War planning and reconstruction. He was Sheriff, 1945-1946, an Alderman of Cheap Ward, and one of the Lieutenants of the City of London. He was a trustee or governor of various schools and hospitals, and a churchwarden of St Botolph Without Bishopsgate, 1944-1953.
Sir Frederick gave his recreations as the history and topography of Old London, and was the vice-president of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, and the Roman and Medieval London Excavation Council. He was also an Honorary Associate of the Town Planning Institute. He died in February 1959.
Information from: 'TIDBURY-BEER, Sir Frederick (Tidbury)', Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920-2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007 [ http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U243743, accessed 17 June 2011].
These manuscripts were compiled by Edward Tyrrell, City Remembrancer, 1832-63.
John Wilkes was born in Clerkenwell in 1725. He was educated at the University of Leiden from 1744, where he developed life-long habits of vice and profligacy. In 1747 he returned to England to enter into an arranged marriage. The dowry was the manor of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. In London Wilkes was admitted to several clubs and moved in intellectual circles, while in Aylesbury he participated in local administration as a magistrate. In 1757 he stood for the Aylesbury Parliamentary seat in an uncontested by-election. In 1761 he again won the seat by bribing the voters. Wilkes began to write anonymous political pamphlets and in 1762 he established a political weekly, the North Briton which was highly critical of the Prime Minister Lord Bute and his successor, George Greville. In November 1763 the North Briton was declared to be seditious libel, leaving Wilkes exposed to punitive legal action. At the same time he was badly injured in a pistol duel with another MP. Wilkes fled to Paris to escape legal proceedings and was expelled from Parliament.
In January 1764 Wilkes was convicted for publishing the North Briton. He was summoned to appear at the court of the king's bench and when he failed to appear was outlawed. Wilkes therefore stayed abroad for four years as returning to England would mean imprisonment. In Paris he moved in intellectual circles and was praised as a champion of freedom, however, he was accruing serious debts. Between 1766 and 1767 he made brief return visits to London, hoping to be pardoned. In 1768 he returned permanently, living under a false name. He announced that he would attend the king's bench when the court next met, and declared his intention to run for Parliament. He contested for the Middlesex seat and ran a superbly organised campaign backed by popular enthusiasm, winning the seat in March by 1292 votes to 827.
Wilkes was immediately expelled from Parliament as it was assumed he would be imprisoned when he attended court in April. The decision was reversed as it was feared that Wilkes' supporters would riot. In June Wilkes was sentenced to two years imprisonment in the King's Bench Prison. On 3 February 1769 he was again expelled from Parliament, only to be re-elected on 16 February in a by-election. He was expelled again but again re-elected in March, only to be expelled. At the April by-election Parliament produced a rival candidate who was soundly defeated, but nevertheless was awarded the Parliamentary seat. The resulting controversy forced the Prime Minister to resign.
Released in 1770 Wilkes stood for election as alderman for the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. In 1771 he was elected Sheriff and in 1774 Lord Mayor. In the same year he was again elected to the Parliamentary seat for Middlesex. He held this seat until 1790. In 1779 he became the City of London Chamberlain and after leaving Parliament concentrated on this post until his death in 1797.
Saint Thomas' Hospital was founded in the early part of the 12th Century as the infirmary of the Augustinian Priory of St Mary Overy and was run by the 11 brothers and sisters of the monastery. It had 40 beds for the poor including the 'sick and the merely needy'. The exact date of foundation is uncertain but tradition says that the priory was founded about 1106 - by 1215 it was being described as 'ancient'. It is dedicated to Saint Thomas the Martyr, a name that cannot have been assumed until after the canonisation of Saint Thomas Becket in 1173, three years after his death. Following a disastrous fire in 1212, the priory and the hospital developed quite separately. The site opposite the priory in Long Southwark (later known as Borough High Street) was acquired by the hospital in 1215 and occupied until 1862. Its position is still indicated by St Thomas' Street and by Saint Thomas' Church, until recently used as the Chapter House of Southwark Cathedral. Little documentary evidence remains to tell of life in the hospital between 1215 and its suppression with other monasteries in 1540. Treatment was a medley of pseudo-science and old wives' remedies.
The early fifteenth century was marked by the opening of a new ward, the gift of Richard Whittington, Lord Mayor of London (1397, 1406 and 1419). 'The noble merchant, Richard Whittington, made a new chamber with 8 beds for young women that had done amiss, in trust of a good amendment. And he commanded that all the things that had been done in that chamber should be kept secret for he would not shame no young women in no wise, for it might be cause of their letting {i.e. hindering} of their marriage.'
Henry VIII dissolved the Hospital in 1540, despite pleas from the City to allow it to take over control. It was described as a 'bawdy' house possibly because the Master was accused of immorality, or because it treated many of Southwark's prostitutes and their clients for their venereal diseases. At this time there had been forty patients, but the hospital was to remain empty for eleven years until a petition to Edward VI led to it being refounded in 1552 and rededicated to Thomas the Apostle as Becket had been decanonised. The hospital grew in size and reputation. At the end of the 17th century the hospital and the adjoining Saint Thomas' Church were largely rebuilt by Thomas Cartwright (Master Mason to Christopher Wren at Saint Mary-le-Bow). In 1822 part of the herb garret above the church was converted into a purpose built operating theatre for female patients. This strange situation resulted from the fact that the female surgical ward abutted the garret. Previously operations had taken place on the ward.
The rebuilding of London Bridge between 1824 and 1831 led to alterations within the hospital. Borough High Street was realigned further to the west and on a higher level. This resulted in the demolition of two old wings of the hospital, built by Thomas Guy and Mr Frederick. These were replaced by new north and south wings built between 1840 and 1842; these wings stood on much higher ground than the rest of the hospital and it was therefore intended that the whole hospital should be modernised, starting with the rebuilding of the main entrance.
In 1859 Florence Nightingale became involved with Saint Thomas' setting up on this site her famous nursing school, the Nightingale Training School. This started with fifteen probationers and grew rapidly. Instruction during the course was mainly practical, with the Probationers working in the hospital wards under close supervision. Considerable emphasis was placed on high moral character. At the end of the year, if they were approved, they were entered on the Register of Certified Nurses, and employment was found for them.
It was about this time that Parliament gave permission for the railway from Greenwich to be extended from London Bridge across the River Thames to Charing Cross. This extension was to pass within half a metre of the north surgical block of the Hospital and despite protests from the governors went ahead. The only solution for the Hospital was to move elsewhere. Florence Nightingale undertook a statistical survey that suggested that as the majority of the Hospital's patients came from outside the immediate area a move would have little significant effect. The Governors decided to sell the hospital and its site to the South-Eastern Railway Company and seek a new location. The Hospital closed in June 1862 and found temporary accommodation in the old Surrey Gardens Music Hall at Newington. A suitable permanent site was found at Stangate in Lambeth where work began in 1865. On 21 June 1871 Queen Victoria opened the new hospital. In the years immediately after the opening of the hospital the financial situation was such that it became necessary to admit private, paying patients in order to increase the hospital's revenue and meet its running costs.
The turn of the century saw a number of advancements in the running of the hospital including the introduction of electric lighting throughout the hospital in both theatres and wards. It was at this time that the first diagnostic work was done with x-rays and experiments were taking place in the use of x-rays in treating inoperable cancers. However this expansion in the work of the hospital's work put pressure on accommodation that was already over subscribed by 1891. The medical school was allotted money for building work to build a much needed extension. Other building projects were instituted but again the problems of financing the improvements meant there was a continuing shortage of beds and operating facilities.
During the First World War the hospital lost many members of staff to military service and as a result had to restrict the services offered to civilians. Two hundred beds were put aside for the treatment of sick and wounded men from the armed forces. On August 16th 1915 the military section of the hospital became the 5th London (City of London) General Hospital, the staff were given commissions and the nurses enrolled in the City of London Territorial Force Nursing Service. The 5th London General was closed on March 31st 1919, but the hospital continued to be overwhelmed with work in the aftermath of the war.
The inter-war years saw the reform of the scheme used for training nurses, this was undertaken by Miss Alicia Lloyd Still and was based upon the syllabus of the General Nursing Council. Miss Lloyd Still introduced an organised programme of lectures and had proper lecture rooms installed to replace the need to have classes in the nurses dining-room. This period also saw the donation of large sums of money to the hospital for specific purposes with the result that a number of laboratories were founded to expanded the research facilities available at the hospital and further accommodation was provided for the treatment of patients. However the finances of the hospital were as ever under-funded.
The Second World War saw the hospital involved in direct action. From 1940 the hospital buildings were heavily bombed and much damage and destruction occurred. The hospital was allotted to Sector VIII as the centre of a scheme to provide medical care for injured servicemen. Two hundred beds were again set aside for use by the military and 130 beds were retained for civilian use. Such staff as were not needed at the hospital were sent to work in outer areas, and a basement operating theatre was established. Once the bombing began conditions at the hospital became increasingly difficult and most of the staff and patients were evacuated to Hydestile near Godalming where the Australians were evacuating a temporary hospital. The first patients were admitted on April 17th 1941 and it remained in operation throughout the war and afterwards while rebuilding work was taking place in Lambeth, finally closing in 1963. Immediately the war was over work began on rebuilding the hospital, but a shortage of labour and supplies meant progress was slow. By 1947 there were again facilities to provide over 500 beds.
In 1948 the establishment of the National Health Service brought fundamental changes to the hospital. Saint Thomas' Hospital and the Babies' Hostel were the nucleus of a group that included the General Lying-In Hospital, the Royal Waterloo Hospital, the Grosvenor Hospital and the Roffey Park Rehabilitation Centre at Horsham, Surrey. Each of these constituent hospitals retained its name but was fully amalgamated with Saint Thomas' and the group as a whole was given the umbrella name of Saint Thomas' Hospital. Saint Thomas's Hospital was managed by the London Regional Hospital Board (Teaching), acting through a Hospital Management Committee. The nationalisation of the Health Service was greatly to Saint Thomas' financial advantage but lead to increasingly heavy demands for improved services.
Between 1950 and 1975 Saint Thomas' Hospital was virtually rebuilt. The bombing of the Second World war caused such extensive damage that it was shown to be necessary to start again from scratch. The hospital architect W. Fowler Howitt planned a modern hospital built along vertical rather than the traditional horizontal lines. This work was done over a period of time in order to enable the hospital to continue to serve the public throughout the work and to minimise disruption as far as possible.
In 1974 Saint Thomas's District Health Authority (Teaching) was formed under the Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Area Health Authority (Teaching) which in 1982 became West Lambeth District Health Authority. The Special Trustees of Saint Thomas' Hospital came into existence on 1 April 1974 when as a consequence of National Health Service reorganisation, Saint Thomas' Hospital ceased to have its own Board of Governors, but became part of the Saint Thomas' Health District (Teaching) of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Area Health Authority. The Special Trustees took over responsibility for the hospital's endowment funds. In April 1993 in a further reorganisation of the National Health Service and the way hospitals were organised and grouped the Saint Thomas' Hospital group was amalgamated with the Guy's Hospital Group to create the Guy's and Saint Thomas' NHS Hospital Trust. Their mission statement outlines what the trustees see as the Hospital's current role in society: "To be London's leading University Hospital, providing a comprehensive local acute hospital service to people who live and work in London, providing a range of specialised hospital services and working in partnership with Guy's, King's and St Thomas' School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences to deliver high quality teaching and research."
The modern history of the Regiment begins in 1859 with the formation of the 23rd Middlesex (Inns of Court) Rifle Volunteer Corps; it became the 14th Middlesex in 1889. The Regiment was attached, in its later years, to the Rifle Brigade and also formed part of the 2nd London Volunteer Brigade and the "Grey Brigade". In 1888 a mounted infantry detachment was formed and became known as "B" (M.I.) Company. A contingent of 30 mounted infantry, 19 cyclists and 1 signaller joined the City Imperial Volunteers for service in South Africa during the Boer War. In 1908 the Territorial Force was formed and the Regiment became a Territorial unit, the 27th Battalion of the County of London Regiment (Inns of Court), but almost immediately it was changed into an officer training unit under the designation Inns of Court Officers Training Corps. The Regiment had an establishment of one squadron of cavalry (I.C.O.T.C. Squadron, formerly "B" (M.I.) Company) and three companies of infantry. In 1914 the Inns of Court Reserve Corps was formed consisting of former members of the Inns of Court Rifle Volunteers, and in 1917 the 1st Cadet Battalion, Inns of Court, was formed to train boys under military age.
In 1920 the Regiment was reformed with an establishment of one squadron of cavalry and two companies of infantry and in 1932 its designation was changed to the Inns of Court Regiment. The two infantry companies were converted to light tank cavalry squadrons in 1937 and two years later formed the Royal Armoured Corps Wing, Sandhurst. In 1939 the mounted squadron joined a cavalry training regiment in Edinburgh, but was disbanded in 1940. Between 1940 and 1943 the Regiment was the Armoured Car Unit of the 9th Armoured Division and from 1943 it was under the direct command of 1 Corps, the assault formation of 21 Army Group and later led the advance of 11th Armoured Division. On 1 April 1947 the Regiment was again reformed, as the Armoured Car Regiment of the 56th (London) Armoured Division, T.A., later to become the Reconnaissance Regiment of the 54th East Anglian Division. In 1956 the Northamptonshire Yeomanry was reduced to one squadron and amalgamated with the Inns of Court Regiment as "the Northamptonshire Yeomanry "D" Squadron, the Inns of Court Regiment"; and in 1961 a further amalgamation occurred when the Regiment and the City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) united under the title "Inns of Court and City Yeomanry".
The "Rough Riders" had been formed in 1901 as the 1st County of London (Rough Riders) Imperial Yeomanry, but its name was changed to the City of London (Rough Riders) Imperial Yeomanry in 1902. Thereafter the Regiment's name changed to City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders), then City of London Yeomanry Battery, R.H.A. and 11th (City of London Yeomanry) Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, R.A. before reverting to City of London Yeomanry (Rough Riders) prior to amalgamation. In April 1967 the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve replaced the old Territorial Army. The Inns of Court and City Yeomanry was reduced to one squadron and formed part of the "London Yeomanry and Territorials"; the regimental band was retained based at Lincoln's Inn and attached to the newly formed Royal Yeomanry Regiment.. In 1968 the London Yeomanry and Territorials was disbanded, but a cadre of the Regiment, consisting of 3 officers and 5 other ranks, was retained in the Royal Armoured Corps thus ensuring the continuation of the Regiment's name in the Army List and the retention of headquarters and mess at Lincoln's Inn. The cadre, however, was disbanded in March 1975. In 1969 71 Signal Regiment (Volunteers) was formed from disbanded yeomanry regiments and on 1 April No. 68 (Inns of Court and City Yeomanry) Signal Squadron was formed with an establishment of 8 officers and 85 other ranks and as such the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry still existed in 1977.
The City Imperial Volunteers (as they are usually known) or C.I.V. were raised by the Lord Mayor in December 1899 to fight in the Boer War in South Africa. Donations were received from City Livery Companies, bankers and City and West End firms.
Recruits, who were aged between 20 and 30, enlisted for one year. They were all granted the Freedom of the City of London and embarked for South Africa on 13, 20 and 29 January 1900 with another draft in July 1900. They returned home in October 1900 and were disbanded.
The Home Guard was first raised in May, 1940, on a semi-civilian basis in close association with the Police force, and was originally known as the Local Defence Volunteers. It was organized in companies, grouped in zones, corresponding to Police districts. The aim of the Guard was to delay an enemy invasion force, providing the Government and the regular army with time to establish a professional defence and repel the enemy invasion.
The London Rifle Brigade was founded in 1859 and was the first City of London volunteer unit formed during that year. Its members were City clerks and City "men of good position" and the Brigade kept that social composition throughout its existence, although active service in both World Wars temporarily altered its character.
In 1908 the Brigade was converted to a Territorial unit and its original sixteen companies were whittled down to eight. From 1868 each company had been associated with one of the City's wards.
The London Rifle Brigade survived as an independent body until 1950 when the first of a series of amalgamations occurred.
In 1799 the first general Income Tax Act was passed, as a war tax. It was repealed after the Peace Of Amiens in 1802, although it was rapidly re-instated in 1803/4 as a "Property Tax". This tax in turn lapsed in 1816, until its re-introduction in 1842. The tax was initially levied at the rate of 2 shillings in the pound on all income in excess of £200 per annum.
The Squadron was founded in 1941 to train boys aged 16 to 18, working or studying in the City, as potential recruits to the Royal Air Force. The Lord Mayor was president of the committee which oversaw the recruitment and organisation of the Squadron.
Established in 1929 as the Lloyd's Clerks' Superannuation Fund, Lloyd's Superannuation Fund, the corporate trustee of which is LSF Pensions Management Limited, was set up for the members, or underwriters at Lloyd's who wished to establish under irrevocable trusts in connection with their said business a fund for the purpose of providing pensions for male Clerks employed in the business on retirement.
The first meeting of the Provisional Committee of Management which established Lloyd's Clerks Superannuation Fund, was held in the Committee Room at Lloyd's of London, Lime Street, City of London on 15th May 1929. The first trustees of the Fund were selected by the Committee of Lloyd's, and the Fund officially commenced on 1st October 1929, with the aim of admitting new members to the Fund on a quarterly basis. R Watsons and Sons were appointed as the first actuaries to the Fund, with Messrs Gerard van de Linde and Sons the Fund's first auditors.
Although only at first open to male Clerks, the Trust Deed and Rules were amended to admit female Clerks from 1st December 1969, in advance of government changes to the rules of private pension schemes in 1972.
The Fund continues to provide pensions services to Lloyd's underwriters, and to work closely with its members as part of the Lloyd's group.
This company was established by Charles Chubb (1772-1846) of Portsea, Hampshire following the grant of a patent to his brother Jeremiah Chubb for a detector lock. In 1827 Charles Chubb moved and opened a shop at 57 St Paul's Churchyard, City of London.
In 1830 manufacturing of locks began in Wolverhampton, first in Temple Street, then St James's Square in 1835 and then Old Mill Lane, Horsely Fields in 1841. The production of safes followed an award of a patent to Charles Chubb in 1835. The firm's safe manufactory was established at 27 Cow Cross Street, London by 1846. This later moved to Glengall Road, Old Kent Road in 1867. Glengall Road also saw the production of locks with the return of works from Wolverhampton to London in 1882.
The Wolverhampton lock works were re-established and returned to Horsely Fields in 1889. New lock works were opened in Railway Street and Chubb Street in 1899 with auxiliary safe works built in Railway Street in 1900. Wolverhampton became the manufacturing hub of the company when the London safe works were transferred to a new safe works on Wednesfield Road in 1909, which also absorbed the Railway Street works. Lock works were also moved to new factory in Wednesfield Road in 1938.
Branches opened in Manchester in 1838 and Liverpool in 1839. Showrooms opened at 68 St James's Street in 1874.
John Chubb (1815-1872) joined his father in partnership in 1841 and continued the business following his father's death in 1846. Following John Chubb's death, the firm continued under the direction of his executors and sons John Charles Chubb (1846-1899) and George Hayter Chubb, later Lord Hayter (1848-1946). G H Chubb became chairman in 1882 with the incorporation of the company as Chubb and Son's Lock and Safe Company Limited. Lord Hayter retired in 1940 and was succeeded by his nephew Harry Emory Chubb (1880-1960).
Major overseas trading began in the late 19th century, with South Africa in 1890. Chubb and Maxwell Limited was incorporated in 1895 to manage South African work. Business in Australia was managed by Chubb's Australian Company Limited which was established in 1897 in Sydney. This company managed a safe, strong room and bronze work factory which was built in 1921. Chubb-France SA was formed in 1922 and Chubb India Limited in 1926. Abroad manufacturing of security equipment began in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1950 and Toronto, Canada in 1954. The 20th century saw acquisition of key firms including Josiah Parkes (manufacturers of 'Union' locks), Hobbs Hart of London and other companies.
Company name changes 1818-2000:
Charles Chubb, Jeremiah Chubb, patent detector lock, 1818-1846;
Chubb and Son, 1846-1882 (Charles Chubb and his son John Chubb);
Chubb and Son's Lock and Safe Company Limited, 1882-1958;
Chubb and Son Limited, 1958-1982;
Chubb and Son plc, 1982-1984;
Racal-Chubb Limited (with constituent companies Chubb Safe Equipment Company Limited and Chubb Locks Limited), 1984-1986. Chubb taken over by Racal Electronics and came under Racal Group;
Racal-Chubb Products Limited 1986-1992;
Chubb Security plc, 1992 separating from Racal;
Acquired by Williams Holdings, 1997;
Demerged as Chubb plc, 2000.
London Head offices: 57 St Paul's Churchyard (1827-1877); 128 Queen Victoria Street (1877-1941); St James's Street (1941-1946); 40-42 Oxford Street (1946-1955); 175-176 Tottenham Court Road (1955-1960); 14-22 Tottenham Court Road (from 1960); Manor House, Feltham, Middlesex; moved to Wednesfield Road, Wolverhampton in 1985.
In 1766 Lewis Agassiz was granted naturalization by a private act of Parliament (7 George III c.4). In 1769 he went into partnership with Joseph Lieutand and their business first appears in the trade directories in 1771 under the name of Lewis Agassiz and Company. Agassiz was a Swiss merchant, dealing in cotton, silk, sugar, cocoa, coffee, tobacco, cochineal and other tropical goods. He had trading connections not only throughout Europe (France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland), but also in Russia, North and South America and the East and West Indies. There is a large component of private and family papers kept with the business records.
Samuel Grellet joined the company sometime before 1772 and the name was changed to Agassiz, Grellet and Company. On Grellet's death in 1776, Francis Anthony Rougemont joined the partnership under the name of Agassiz, Rougemont and Company. Lewis Agassiz left the company in 1784 to retire to Margate in Kent. He had two sons, Arthur David Lewis Agassiz (who took over the family business) and James John Charles Agassiz. In 1792 the name was changed to Agassiz and Wilson when Thomas Wilson joined the business. From 1802, the company was listed as Wilson, Agassiz and Company. Around 1818 the company split. Thomas Wilson and Richard Blanshard traded from 4 Jefferies Square, St Mary Axe under the name Wilson and Blanshard, while Agassiz, Son and Company moved to 15 New Broad Street. After 1825 the Agassiz firm no longer appears in the trade directories.
The company was based at 92 Little St Helen's (1771-92), 36 Fenchurch Street (1793-1812), 4 Jefferies Square, St Mary Axe (1813-19), 15 New Broad Street (1820-4) and 6 Finsbury Square (1825).
The company was formed in 1912 to acquire and hold the share capital of an existing Argentine company, La Sociedad Anonima Compania de Maderas del Alto Parana. Its purpose was to exploit and develop the pine and hardwood and other crops on the Argentine company's estate of 600,000 acres in Parana province, Brazil. The company became an investment trust company by special resolution of its annual general meeting of 1949. In 1951 it changed its name to Scottish and Mercantile Investment Co Ltd.
From 1912 to 1951 the company address was River Plate House, variously described as Finsbury Circus EC2 (1912-38), 10-11 Finsbury Circus EC2 (1939-48), or 12-13 South Place EC2 (from 1948), but the company disappears from the directories after 1948. In 1951 the company moved to 36-37 King Street EC2.
The Corporation was founded in 1890. The offices were in 17 Lombard St 1891; 75 Lombard St 1892-1905; 20 Birchin Lane 1906-22; 3 Bank Buildings, Lothbury 1923; and 320 Gresham House, Old Broad St 1924-54. In 1960 it merged with other investment trusts to form the Anglo-American Securities Corporation.
Ashanti Goldfields Corporation Limited was incorporated in May 1897 as a company to work the concession acquired by Edwin Cade in 1895. A small company, the Cote d'Or Company, had been established to provide funds for an expedition by Cade to Ashanti, during which he had signed an agreement with local chiefs and had secured the concession to mine for gold. In 1896 Ashanti had been annexed by the British Government and negotiations secured agreement whereby the concession to mining, trading and agricultural rights over a square mile area was recognised by the Government for 90 years, and the Ashanti Goldfields Corporation Limited was registered.
Edwin Cade and John Daw were members of the first expedition to work the concession and both were important figures in the early development of the Corporation, the former as a director until his death in 1903, the latter as consultant engineer, general manager, and eventually director until 1906. In 1972 Lonrho acquired an interest in the company which became jointly owned by them and the Ghanian Government until 1996. In 2000 the company entered into a strategic alliance with AngloGold which resulted in merger in 2004. The new company is called AngloGold Ashanti and continues to mine in Ghana. The Corporation had offices at 9 Broad Street in 1900; 6 Southampton Street 1902-1935; 10 Old Jewry 1936-1963; Moor House, London Wall 1964-1970; Cheapside House, 138 Cheapside from 1971; and Roman House, 4Wood Street from 1996. In 2004, the company closed its London offices.
The Association was founded in 1860 as the Association of Chambers of Commerce of the United Kingdom and its name was changed to the Association of British Chambers of Commerce in 1919. The Association is now known as the British Chambers of Commerce. Early chambers of commerce had been established in Jersey, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow , Edinburgh and Belfast amongst others but there was no concerted attempt to work together until the presidents of the Yorkshire Chambers met at the Social Science Congress in Bradford in 1859 and decided they needed their own national forum. The Association had London offices in Queen Anne's Gate, City of Westminster (to be close to the Houses of Parliament) and at Cannon Street and Queen Street in the City of London.
The Association was concerned in the 19th century with a wide variety of subjects including bankruptcy and partnership law, patents and trade marks, copyright, reform of copyright law, shipping and railways and foreign tariffs. By 1900 the Association comprised 90 chambers and included more than 50 Members of Parliament among its honorary members. Much of its success in this period stemmed from its ability to influence Parliament. One cause for which it lobbied for over a century was adoption of the metric system. After the Second World War it argued for UK membership of a European trading area. In the postwar period the Association argued against the Labour Government's increased involvement with the economy and industry. The increasing interest of the state in industrial affairs led the Association to seek to influence Ministers directly and to liaise with government departments to amend proposed legislation, rather than by lobbying MPs.
An association for foreign accident business was approved by a meeting of members of the Accident Offices Association interested in accident business abroad, held on 3 May 1937, and at the Annual General Meeting of the association on 14 June 1937. The new association, the Accident Offices Association (Overseas), took over the Foreign Motor Committee of the Accident Offices Association which had been formed in 1920. The Accident Offices Association continued to provide the new association with executive and secretarial services as well as a place to meet.