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

Historical information from 'Parishes: Tooting Graveney', A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4 (1912), pp. 102-107 (available online).

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

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

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.

John Dicks was a builder based at 39 London Street, St Pancras. He went bankrupt.

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.

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.

The manor of Yeoveney was presumably included in Edward the Confessor's grant of Staines to Westminster Abbey. Between 1087 and 1100 the land of Yeoveney was referred to as pasture belonging to Staines: this may indicate that it was then an uncultivated appurtenance of the parent manor, rather than a berewick, though it is possible that the pasture referred to was the adjacent moor, which seems to have been regarded as part of Yeoveney manor in the 14th century. In any case, Yeoveney had become a manor by the 13th century, and had about 200-300 acres of demesne, lying to the east of Staines Moor. In 1758 there were only five copyholders, holding less than 20 acres between them, and the manorial rights lapsed soon afterwards. The demesne lands comprised between 365 and 400 acres from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

Yeoveney formed part of the abbot's demesnes. It was leased continually from 1363, except for part of 1376 and possibly for other short periods before the mid-15th century. Leases for terms of years were replaced in the 17th century by leases for three lives, frequently renewed, which remained the rule until the abbey gave up the property. From the 16th to the 19th century the rent remained virtually constant at about £25. In 1494-6 and 1522 Robert Durdant was lessee. (Nicholas Durdant (d. 1538) was in possession in 1525 and was succeeded by his son Andrew. The abbey tried to oust Andrew or his son in 1587, but Andrew Durdant, grandson of the earlier Andrew, was in possession by 1610. His widow, then in occupation of the estate, secured the freehold in 1649. After the Restoration Charles Durdant was made to surrender his lease, and in 1665 one was granted to William Dolben (d. 1694), later a justice of King's Bench and brother of the then Dean of Westminster. William was succeeded by Sir Gilbert Dolben, Bt., the Dean's son. His grandson Sir William Dolben sold the lease in 1775 to William Gyll of Wraysbury (Bucks.), whose descendants were lessees when the manor was transferred to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners.

The Durdant family lived at Yeoveney, but the later lessees sublet the farm. No one family appears to have held the sub-tenancy for a long period. In 1881 the Ecclesiastical Commissioners sold their reversionary interest to Henry Fladgate, who was then in occupation of the farm. Since then it has passed to the county council, and in 1957 their tenants, Greenwood Bros., farmed 150 acres, including the land which had earlier in the century been used as a rifle range.

There is no evidence that the manorial buildings have ever stood elsewhere than at the present Yeoveney Farm. In the 14th century the buildings included a hall and gatehouse as well as two granges, a byre, a cowhouse, and other farm buildings. The house was rebuilt in the first half of the 18th century. It is L-shaped and has two rather high stories of red brick with a tiled roof. The main front has a slightly projecting centre bay with a pediment, between two narrow bays on each side. The large timber-framed barns to the north, which are now (1957) covered with corrugated iron, probably date from the 17th century.

From: 'Staines: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3: Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury, Teddington, Heston and Isleworth, Twickenham, Cowley, Cranford, West Drayton, Greenford, Hanwell, Harefield and Harlington (1962), pp. 18-20.

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.

The horticultural societies and shows represented in this collection took place in a variety of locations, mostly in the former Middlesex, including Hanwell, Watford, Southgate, Northolt, Hampstead, Friern Barnet, Hounslow, Enfield, Ealing, Edmonton, Haringey, Muswell Hill and Bush Hill.

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.

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

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.

Bow County Court was located at Bow Road, E3. The district of the Court included Bromley, Stratford, West Ham, Buckhurst Hill and parts of Shoreditch, Bethnal Green and Whitechapel.

The County Courts have had varied and extensive jurisdictions under numerous Acts including compensation for injured workmen by employers under the Workmen's Compensation Acts 1897 and 1925.

Wandsworth Prison was built in 1849 as a Surrey House of Correction and was intended for those serving short sentences. It was designed by D R Hill of Birmingham to hold 1000 prisoners, and the first male prisoners were admitted in 1851 and the first female prisoners in 1852. In 1877, when prisons were nationalised, it became a short-term prison and in 1878, it took over from Horsemonger Lane as the hanging prison for South London. It came to be used for recidivists and, after the First World War, part was taken over as the Boys' Prison for London, under a separate governor and regime from the main block. Boys were assessed here and, if appropriate, allocated to Borstals. In 1929, this function was transferred to Wormwood Scrubs. More recently, the prison has been used to hold convicted persons awaiting sentence and as the centre for allocating long-term prisoners to other prisons outside the London area.

The Royal Society of Portrait Painters was founded early in 1891. The impetus for the formation of the Society arose because some young portrait painters felt that their work was being excluded by the Royal Academy (of which they were not members) and so planned firstly an exhibition, then a Society of Portrait Painters. Members of the Society included Archibald John Stuart Wortley (the first President); James Jebusa Shannon; Percy Jacomb Hood; and Arthur Melville. The first exhibition was held in June 1891.

In 1911 the Society, by the permission of George V, gained the status of a Royal Society. Despite financial instability and problems finding venues for exhibitions the Society flourished and attracted critical and public attention; the annual exhibitions becoming an established part of the art calendar. The Society can boast a distinguished list of past and present members. In 1986 it became a Registered Company and in 1987 a charity.

On the abolition of the Greater London Council in 1986, the functions of its Architect's Department's Historic Buildings Division were handed over to the London Region of English Heritage. The plans and files formerly belonging to the Historic Buildings Division form the bulk of this collection.

The division was involved with the refurbishment, repair and general maintenance of buildings within the Greater London area which were deemed as being of historic or architectural significance. English Heritage continued this work after 1986 and in many cases files and plans of individual buildings will originate from both the GLC and English Heritage, and also sometimes from the GLC's predecessor, the London County Council.

In addition to these responsibilities, English Heritage is involved with the statutory listing of historic and architecturally significant buildings, and also with town planning and civic design, and these two areas of its work are also represented in the archive.

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.

Swaylands School was a residential special school for educationally subnormal boys maintained by Middlesex County Council (MCC).

After the passing of the 1944 Education Act, the MCC expanded its provision for special education increasing its number of residential schools from one to ten, many accommodated in large mansions in the home counties. Swaylands was a 19th century Tudor style house situated at Penshurst, near Tonbridge, in Kent.

These are the files of Alan Whittleton, former Secretary of the Association.

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.

Mothers' Union is a world-wide voluntary Christian women's organisation whose purpose is the strengthening and preservation of marriage and Christian family life. The Mothers' Union follows the same organisational structure as the Anglican Church. Each diocese has its own President and Secretary, who, with the Diocesan Council and Departmental Committees, are responsible for the overall administration of work in the dioceses.

The Mothers' Union in the Diocese of London covers the part of London north of the River Thames and since 1970 has been divided into five Areas, each with its own bishop and corresponding Mothers' Union Vice President and Chaplain. In 1990 there were 100 Branches and 2,500 members in the diocese, and the following Departments were in operation: Overseas, Media, Social Concern, Young Families, Prayer and Publications Departments.

The Mothers' Union was founded in 1876 by Mrs Mary Elizabeth Sumner (formerly Mary Elizabeth Heywood) (1829-1921) at Old Arlesford, Hampshire, where her husband George Henry Sumner was Rector (who later became Bishop of Guildford in 1889). It began as a small group of mothers from the village who met with Mary Sumner and pledged themselves to uphold the sanctity of marriage and bring up their children in the faith of God.

By 1886 it developed into an organised church society in the Diocese of Winchester, which was soon added to by other dioceses, the next one being established by Mrs Emily Wilberforce (wife of the Bishop of Chichester) in the Diocese of Newcastle. In 1887 the first Diocesan Council Conference was held at Winchester under the approval of the Bishop of Winchester. From 1888 the first overseas work began as Branches were set up in Canada (which was followed by New Zealand, Australia, India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), China, Japan, Egypt, Malta, and South America before 1900).

In 1890 the Diocese of London Mothers' Union began, largely under the initiative of Lady Horatia Erskine and the Honorary Mrs Evelyn Hubbard. The first meeting was addressed by Mary Sumner. London became the centre of the Mothers' Union's rapidly growing activities. In 1892 the first annual General Conference was held in London where 1550 branches and 60,000 members in 28 dioceses were represented, to discuss questions affecting the work of the Mothers' Union. In 1895 the first central union Headquarters were established at Church House, Westminster, initially consisting of a locker room for the post. In 1896 a Central Council, a system of democratic representation by each diocese, was developed at Westminster to oversee the work of the rapidly growing organisation, and in 1899 the expansion of work necessitated the renting of the first office at Church House. The continuing growth of membership necessitated new administration and an office was rented for the Diocesan Secretary in 1905.

During this time the Central Council began to exercise pressure on legislation effecting marriage and the family, including laws on prostitution, divorce, temperance, education, infant life insurance, and the registration of domestic servants. The greatest campaign was made against divorce laws. In 1903 Central Council 'pledged to resist all attacks on the Marriage Laws of this country'. Mothers' Union wanted the Divorce Act 1857 repealed, and resisted those who wanted to make divorce easier. In 1910 a protest was organised against the extension of the divorce laws and evidence was presented to the Divorce Commission.

In 1912 the Mothers' Union formed as an Incorporated Society and in 1917 the first 'Mary Sumner House', Deans Yard, Westminster was opened. The society then moved to 'Mary Sumner House', Tufton Street, Westminster which was built to the Founder's memory in 1923 and opened in 1925. The building has been the Central Headquarters and the London Diocesan office of the Mothers' Union including accommodation for Official Workers, various Departments running the work of the society, a war memorial chapel, assembly hall, library, bookshop, hostel and members' room.

By 1926, when the Mothers' Union was Incorporated by Royal Charter on its 50th Anniversary, there were over 70,000 home branches and 900 branches overseas, and 490,000 members.

Up to the 1970s the three main principals of the Mothers' Union were:

• To uphold the sanctity of marriage
• To have a sense of responsibility in the training of children

• Daily prayer and high ideals in home life.

  In 1968 a World Conference concluded that the society needed to re-think its scope and take a more liberal attitude towards divorce and marriage. For this purpose, a Commission was appointed by the Central Council in 1969 and in 1972 it produced a report 'New Dimensions'. In 1974 a new supplementary Royal Charter was granted and the Aims and Objects were extended and reworded to reflect changing trends:

  "The aim of the society is the advancement of the Christian religion in the sphere of marriage and family life. In order to carry out this aim, its objectives are:

• To uphold Christ's teaching on the nature of marriage and promote its wider understanding.
• To encourage parents to bring up their children in the faith and life of the Church.
• To maintain a world-wide fellowship of Christians united in prayer, worship and service.
• To promote conditions in society favourable to stable family life and the protection of children

• To help those whose family life has met with adversity."

  In 2003 the society had more than one million members in 70 countries, and 122,000 members in the United Kingdom. The Mothers' Union has continued to play a important role in the religious life and social policies of many countries. Members have been active in their local communities and their commitment to the family is still supported through a tradition of personal links and relationships world-wide.

  Central Presidents (1896-1920): Mrs Mary Elizabeth Sumner - 1896 (elected at the first Central Council)
  Dowager Countess of Chichester - 1910
  Mrs Emily Wilberforce - 1916
  Mrs Hubert Barclay - 1920.

  London Diocesan Presidents (1890-1989): Beatrice Temple - 1890
  Lady Horatia E Erskine - 1894 (Central Vice President)
  Lady Victoria Buxton - 1898
  Lady Horatia E Erskine - 1900
  The Honorary Mrs Evelyn Hubbard - 1905
  Mrs Emily Wilberforce - 1909 (Central President from 1916)
  Gertrude Gow - 1916
  Maud Montgomery - 1918
  Dame Beatrix Hudson Lyall - 1921 (Central Vice President)
  Eleanor Mary Raymond - 1936 (Central Vice President)
  Joyce Coombs - 1946 (Central Vice President)
  Helena Lambert - 1955 (Central Vice President)
  Mildred Rawlinson - 1961 (Central Vice President)
  Elizabeth Naylor - 1965 (Central Vice President)
  Betty Dunhill - 1971
  Rachel Nugee - 1974 (Central President from 1977)
  Liz Robson - 1977
  Rosemary Johnson - 1983 (Central Vice President 1989)
  Mollie Nichols - 1989.

Brown Brothers, ironmongers, were based at 238 Holloway Road.

This firm of architects was based in Truro, Cornwall, at The Mansion House.

According to the London Post Office Directory of 1930, E G and J W Chester, solicitors, were based at 86 Newington Butts, Newington, SE11. Their names are given as Jn [John] Woodroffe Chester and Jn [John] Granado Chester.

History: Formed 1831. Deed of Settlement, 1833. Incorporated by Act of Parliament, 1842 - 5 + 6 Victoria, cap. 36. Amalgamated with (Chartered) Gas Light and Coke Company, 1871.

Fowler and Sutton, architects, were based at Parliament Mansions, Abbey Orchard Street, SW1.

William Matthew Hill and William Higgs both established building firms in the 1850s : Hill and Sons in Islington, and Higgs in Westminster (later moving to Vauxhall). Friendship between the two families led to amalgamation in 1874 as Hill, Higgs and Hill. William Higgs' yard in Vauxhall became the company headquarters and was renamed "Crown Works". On the retirement of Rowland Hill in 1877 the firm's name was simplified to Higgs and Hill. The firm enjoyed several prestigious early contracts, including the Tate Gallery on Millbank, Harvey Nicholls department store in Knightsbridge, and work on the new St Thomas' Hospital at Westminster Bridge.

In 1898 the business was incorporated as a limited liability company; getting a flying start with the winning of a new contract - the largest yet - for the Royal Naval Training College at Dartmouth.

The company moved its headquarters from Crown Works in 1967, to New Malden, Surrey. The workshops were moved to Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, along with the joinery works which operated under the name of Foster and Dicksee Limited. As the business continued to expand, other building firms were taken over, including Holliday and Greenwood.

May, May and Merriman, solicitors, still practice in Gray's Inn, London. According to their website (accessed Oct 2009) they were "founded in 1786 by Richard Wilson, May May and Merrimans has always practised within or close to the Inns of Court. For over 100 years the practice occupied 49 Lincoln's Inn Fields, until the move to its present premises in Gray's Inn in 1958. In the 19th Century the partners practised under their own names; Charles Gibbons May became a partner in 1884 and this family connection continued until 1965. The firm took its present name on amalgamation with Merrimans in 1968 and subsequently acquired the practices of Ravenscroft Woodward and Co and Caprons and Crosse, both of which also had long antecedents in the private client field. The firm continues to expand and has recently acquired the private client practice of Bird and Bird" (http://www.mmandm.co.uk/index.html).

The North Thames Gas Board (1949-1973) was one of 12 Area Boards formed when the gas industry was nationalised in 1949, following the passing of the 1948 Gas Bill. It supplied an area of 1,059 square miles stretching from Bracknell, Marlow and High Wycombe to the south east coast of Essex.

When formed it was made up of a merger of 12 statutory gas undertakings:

Ascot and District Gas and Electricity Company,

Chertsey Gas Consumers Company;

Commercial Gas Company;

(Chartered) Gas Light and Coke Company;

Hornsey Gas Company;

Lea Bridge District Gas Company;

North Middlesex Gas Company;

Romford Gas Company;

Slough Gas and Coke Company;

Southend Corporation (Shoeburyness);

Uxbridge Gas Consumers Company and

Windsor Royal Gas Light Company.

The North Thames Gas Board was dissolved in 1973 when it became a region of the British Gas Corporation.

The Great Central Gas Consumers Company was founded in 1849. Consumers Gas Companies were usually set up in consequence of dissatisfaction with the existing suppliers, in this case the City of London Gas Light and Coke Company and the Chartered Gas Light and Coke Company, which were both charging high amounts for their gas. According to the Act of Parliament which established the Company, it was obliged to sell gas at 4 shillings per 1000 cubic feet, and to take profits of 10 percent maximum. Any profit above 10 percent was to be put towards the reduction of prices. The Company had a gas works at Bow Common. In 1870 it was taken over by the Chartered Gas Light and Coke Company.

In 1807 Frederick Albert Winsor, a Moravian, issued a prospectus for the grandiose New Patriotic Imperial and National Light and Heat Company. In the same year a group of influential backers, led by James Ludovic Grant, met at the Crown and Anchor in the Strand to try to launch some sort of public venture. At that time any company raising capital by selling shares was deemed a partnership: if it failed, all its members were held personally liable for losses. It was therefore decided to seek a charter by act of Parliament. An initial application in 1809 seeking to raise £1 million failed, largely through opposition by rivals such as Murdock and the younger James Watt. However, a more modest application for £200,000 was successful in 1810, though stringent conditions were attached. By 1810 these had been fulfilled and on 9 June the Gas Light and Coke Company - commonly known as the chartered company - was formally established, with Grant as its first governor. A Charter was granted by the Prince Regent in 1812.

The Company constructed the first operational public gas-works in Peter Street, Horseferry Road, Westminster, and began producing gas in September 1813. The Company absorbed 27 smaller companies and several undertakings during its period of operation, including the Aldgate Gas Light and Coke Company (1819), the Brentford Gas Company (1926), the City of London Gas Light and Coke Company (1870), the Equitable Gas Light Company (1871), the Great Central Gas Consumer's Company (1870), Imperial Gas Light and Coke Company (1876), the Independent Gas Light and Coke Company (1876), the London Gas Light Company (1883), Pinner Gas Company (1930), Richmond Gas Company (1925), Southend-on-Sea and District Gas Company (1932), Victoria Docks Gas Company (1871) and Western Gas Light Company (1873). In May 1949, after the passing of the Gas Bill 1948, the Company handed over its assets to the North Thames Gas Board.

The Peckham Building Investment Company worked to erect houses not worth more than £300 each on freehold land between Old Kent Rd and Queen's Rd, late Deptford Lane, ie Peckham Rd, [now Meeting House Lane and Culmore Road], Bath Road [now Asylum Road], Clifton Grove [now Clifton Crescent], Clifton Road [now Clifton Way], and Bath Grove.

The Ratcliff Gas Light and Coke Company was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1823-24 (George IV cap. 98), which was later consolidated and amended in 1855 (18-19 Victoria, cap. 12). ). The Company merged with the East London Gas Light Company (1831-1835). It was later amalgamated with the Commercial Gas Company, 1875 (38-39 Victoria, cap. 200.)

Scott of London, basket weavers, were founded in 1661 in the City of London. After the Great Fire of London in 1666 trades identified as a fire risk were ordered to move out of the City and so the company went to Soho, which was then a rural area. The products manufactured by the company varied over time but included bug traps (bed bugs are attracted to the bitter taste of willow), picnic baskets (the company claimed to have invented the modern picnic basket), cane furniture, cradles, dog baskets, and stage props such as effigies of Gog and Magog for the Lord Mayor's Parade or the frame of Falstaff's belly.

Seager Evans and Company was founded in 1805, principally as a maker of gin. They owned distilleries in Millbank and Deptford as well as many in Scotland for the production of whisky.

In 1956 they were bought by Schenley Industries of New York, in turn owned by Glen Alden Corporation. In 1969 Glen Alden Corporation was taken over by Rapid American Incorporated. The name Seager Evans was changed to Long John International, Ltd.

The collection also contains the records of a subsidiary company Holland and Co. Ltd, distillers, of Deptford Bridge, Deptford, Kent.

No historical information could be located for this Company.

Sydenham Gas and Coke Company was formed in 1852 to serve Sydenham and its immediate neighbourhood. In 1866 it was merged into Crystal Palace District Gas Company.

The precise origin of the Truman family's involvement in brewing is unclear. Although 1666 is often cited as the start date, it is more likely to have been in 1679 when Joseph Truman Senior (died 1721) acquired the Black Eagle Street brewhouse from William Bucknall. The two sons of Joseph Truman Senior, Joseph Truman Junior (died 1733) and Benjamin Truman (died 1780) entered the business in 1716 and 1722 respectively. Joseph retired in 1730 and Benjamin developed the business so that in 1760 (the year he was knighted) Truman's brewery was the third biggest in London, brewing 60,000 barrels of beer per annum. After 1780, James Grant (died 1788), Sir Benjamin's assistant and executor, ran the business whilst the property passed to Sir Benjamin's grandsons, General Henry Read and William Truman Read.

In 1789 Sampson Hanbury acquired James Grant's share of the business and manged the brewery until 1835. He was joined in 1811 by his nephew Thomas Fowell Buxton. Additional partners joined in 1816: Thomas Marlborough Pryor and Robert Pryor, who had previously run Proctors brewhouse, Shoreditch. Production rose from 100,000 barrels per annum in 1800 to 400,000 barrels per annum in 1850, so becoming the largest brewery in London.

Truman Hanbury Buxton and Co. Ltd was registered in 1889 as a limited liability company. The company was acquired by Grand Metropolitan Hotels Ltd in 1971 and changed its name to Trumans Ltd. In 1974 it merged with Watney Mann Ltd. Brewing at Burton ceased in 1971 but the Black Eagle Brewery at Brick Lane, Shoreditch, continued to operate until 1988. In 1991, Grand Metropolitan Hotels Ltd was taken over by Courage Ltd.

Trollope and Colls Ltd can trace their origins back to 1778. The company was formed from two distinct family businesses. The first business was that of Joseph Trollope who was set up as a wall paper hanger in St Marylebone moving to St George, Hanover Square and then in 1787 to Parliament Street, Westminster. He was a specialist in exotic wall paper, especially Chinese painted paper, with work undertaken at Lullingstone Castle, The Vyne (Hampshire) and Burghley House. He retired in 1800. George Trollope, younger son of Joseph took over the running of the family business along with his brother Joseph Amos Trollope. In 1830 he became paper hanger to King George IV, and in 1842 to Queen Victoria. The firm expanded into interior decoration. Later, in 1849, it expanded into estate agency, letting and controlling property for the Grosvenor Estates.

A separate branch of Cabinet-makers, bearing the family name, was opened at West Halkin Street, becoming known as "The Museum of Decorative Arts" (run by George Robinson). In 1851, the firm became formally known as George Trollope and Sons. George Trollope and Sons were notable for their speculative development of Mayfair, in Eccleston Square, Eaton Square and Warwick Square. Because of delays in a development at Hereford Gardens, Grosvenor Estates were highly critical of the Company and it therefore lost its exemptions to various Building Acts. Further setbacks were industrial disputes in 1859/1860 and were, in descending order, building, estate agency (at Hobart Place), and interior decoration (at West Halkin Street). The latter was involved in contracts to fit out the interiors of liners.

Colls and Sons of 3 High Street, Camberwell, was started in 1840 by Benjamin Colls a painter and decorator who had previously worked in Camberwell and had an opportunity to develop Jackson's Place, Camberwell (belonging to his father-in-law Thomas Jackson). In 1844 he branched out into plumbing and glazier work and in 1853 became a builder and contractor with new premises at 240-246 Camberwell Road. A branch opened in the City at Moorgate in 1858. Most of the business pursued was contract work on workmen's flats, schools and Anglican Churches in South London (e.g. St Phillip, Battersea and St Luke, Camberwell). Increasingly attention had turned towards the City where Benjamin Colls used his experience as a master builder when Chairman of the City Lands Committee. This development into office building was continued by his sons William and John Howard (e.g. Institute of Chartered Accountants 1889-1892). J. Howard Colls was responsible for drawing up the standard contract (1880) and the firm was involved in a famous case Colls V Home and Colonial (1900) over the issue of 'Ancient Lights'. A branch of the firm was founded in Dorking to secure work on houses of City living in Surrey.

In 1903 the new company of George Trollope and Sons and Colls and Sons Ltd was formed with George Howard Trollope and John Howard Colls as joint Chairmen. Both had been presidents of the Central Association of Master Builders. The merger did not include the Surveyors, Auctioneers and Estate Agency at Hobart Place. There was a new headquarters for the firm at 5 Coleman Street, City; the cabinet-making continued with a new contract from Harland and Wolff, Belfast for the Royal Mail Line; the branch in Dorking continued.

The firm came to specialise in civil engineering. A.B Howard Colls did pioneer work in reinforced concrete during the First World War, when many docks, viaducts and railway bridges were constructed. Their work extended to reinforced concrete pipes for drainage, then later to suburban housing, garden cities and work in the Far East. The Second World War left much of the City to be redeveloped and elsewhere new opportunities arose in the field of atomic energy. Trollope and Colls Ltd (as the firm had been known since 1918) joined forces with Holland, Hannen and Cubitt to form Nuclear Civil Constitution ( responsible for Trywsfynnd Power Station, North Wales).

In 1968, the firm was taken over by Trafalgar House Investments Ltd but retained a separate identity. Appropriately enough, the company was responsible for the new precincts at Guildhall, and the repairing of the roof of Guildhall following the Second World War.

Chronology of Companies 1778 Joseph Trollope, wall paper hanger 1800 Joseph Amos and George Trollope 1840 Benjamin Colls, painter and decorator 1851 George Trollope and Sons 1903 George Trollope and Sons and Colls and Sons Ltd 1918 Trollope and Colls Ltd 1969 Trollope and Colls Ltd, owned by Trafalgar House Investments Ltd.

Selected Major buildings George Trollope and Sons: Haymarket Theatre 1869; Claridges Hotel 1897; Baltic Exchange 1903

Colls and Sons: Institute of Chartered Accountants 1889-1892; St Philip, Battersea 1870; Liverpool and London and Globe Insurance Co., Bank 1904

Trollope and Colls Ltd: Lloyds Bank, Head Office, Lombard Street, 1931; Shell Mex House, remodelling 1931; Trinity House, Tower Hill, 1950s; Daily Express, Daily Mail, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Fleet Street, various dates; Debenhams, Wigmore Street, 1905-1908; Northwick Park Hospital, 1970s; New Stock Exchange, City, 1972-1975; Trywsfynnd Power Station, 1962; Interior work for Queen Mary (Cunard Liner).

The Western Gas Light Company was incorporated by Act of Parliament 1845 and the deed of settlement is dated 1846. It was amalgamated with the (Chartered) Gas, Light and Coke Company, 1872.

N J Powell and Company are listed in the 1873 Post Office London Directory as based at 101 High Street, Whitechapel. They are described as wholesale stationers and makers of account books.

T. Lawrence-Hamilton gave a report upon fish markets and fish trade abuses to the London County Council in 1890.

The County Courts as they now exist have their origins in the County Courts Act 1846 with modifications etc under the County Courts Acts of 1888 and 1934. The area of jurisdiction of each court is set from time to time by the Lord Chancellor.

The original jurisdiction of the courts included claims of debt or for damages (except for libel, slander, seduction and breach of promise) not exceeding £400; claims for recovery of land (less than £100 rateable value); claims for the administration of estates, execution of trusts, foreclosure, redemption of mortgages; matters regarding the maintenance of infants, dissolution of partnerships, relief against fraud or mistake where the value of the estates or property etc was not more than £500; contentious business in probate and administration matters where the estate was less than £1000.

The courts have had varied and extensive jurisdictions under numerous Acts including questions between husband and wife under the Married Women's Property Act 1882 and compensation for injured workmen by employers under the Workmen's Compensation Acts 1897 and 1925.

More recent decisions and judgements of County Courts can be found at the Registrar for County Court Judgements, Cleveland Street, London W1.

Address of Wandsworth County Court: Garratt Lane, Wandsworth, SW18; later 76-78 Upper Richmond Road, SW15.

District of the Court: Kew, Richmond, Petersham, Barnes, East Sheen, Mortlake, Roehampton, Putney, Wandsworth, Southfields, Earlsfield, Battersea, Clapham, Tooting, Balham and parts of Streatham and Brixton. Please see Post Office Directories (available in the LMA History Library) for lists of County Courts existing at any one time together with an account of the area covered by each court.

The County Courts as they now exist have their origins in the County Courts Act 1846 with modifications etc under the County Courts Acts of 1888 and 1934. The area of jurisdiction of each court is set from time to time by the Lord Chancellor.

The original jurisdiction of the courts included claims of debt or for damages (except for libel, slander, seduction and breach of promise) not exceeding £400; claims for recovery of land (less than £100 rateable value); claims for the administration of estates, execution of trusts, foreclosure, redemption of mortgages; matters regarding the maintenance of infants, dissolution of partnerships, relief against fraud or mistake where the value of the estates or property etc was not more than £500; contentious business in probate and administration matters where the estate was less than £1000.

The courts have had varied and extensive jurisdictions under numerous Acts including questions between husband and wife under the Married Women's Property Act 1882 and compensation for injured workmen by employers under the Workmen's Compensation Acts 1897 and 1925.

More recent decisions and judgements of County Courts can be found at the Registrar for County Court Judgements, Cleveland Street, London W1.

Address of Lambeth County Court: Cleaver Street, Kennington Road, SE11.

District of the Court: Lambeth, Sydenham, and parts of Lewisham and Deptford, Bermondsey, and New Cross. Please see Post Office Directories (available in the LMA History Library) for lists of County Courts existing at any one time together with an account of the area covered by each court.

The County Courts as they now exist have their origins in the County Courts Act 1846 with modifications etc under the County Courts Acts of 1888 and 1934. The area of jurisdiction of each court is set from time to time by the Lord Chancellor.

The original jurisdiction of the courts included claims of debt or for damages (except for libel, slander, seduction and breach of promise) not exceeding £400; claims for recovery of land (less than £100 rateable value); claims for the administration of estates, execution of trusts, foreclosure, redemption of mortgages; matters regarding the maintenance of infants, dissolution of partnerships, relief against fraud or mistake where the value of the estates or property etc was not more than £500; contentious business in probate and administration matters where the estate was less than £1000.

The courts have had varied and extensive jurisdictions under numerous Acts including questions between husband and wife under the Married Women's Property Act 1882 and compensation for injured workmen by employers under the Workmen's Compensation Acts 1897 and 1925.

More recent decisions and judgements of County Courts can be found at the Registrar for County Court Judgements, Cleveland Street, London W1.

Address of Southwark County Court: Swan Street, Trinity Street, Borough, SE1.

District of Court: Southwark, parts of Lambeth, New Cross and Deptford. Please see Post Office Directories (available in the LMA History Library) for lists of County Courts existing at any one time together with an account of the area covered by each court.

Candlewick Ward Club was founded in the early 18th century or before. It was called The Candlewick Club until 1739 when it was renamed Candlewick Ward Club. The City of London was divided into wards for the purpose of government as early as Norman times. The wards had responsibility to keep the peace, supervise trade and oversee sanitation, and each ward has the right to elect an Alderman and Commoners to sit in the Court of Common Council. The Candlewick ward is situated near Monument and London Bridge, bounded to the north by Lombard Street, the east by Gracechurch Street, the south by Arthur Street and the west by Abchurch Lane. The Ward Club is a social club for those who live and work within the ward. It organises events such as talks, lectures, visits and outings, luncheons, dinners and church services. A newsletter is also produced.

The National Society was founded in 1889 as the Printers' Labourers' Union, "to protect the interests and wages of printers' labourers ... and to afford them a means of mutual support". In 1899 it was renamed the Operative Printers' Assistants Society, and in 1904 it became the National Society of Operative Printers' Assistants.

In recognition of the skilled managers as well as assistants among its membership, its title was altered again in 1912 to the National Society of Operative Printers and Assistants (NatSOPA). In 1965 the union merged with the National Union of Printing, Bookbinding and Paper Workers to form the Society of Graphical and Allied Trades (SOGAT).

The union was organised on a branch (chapel) basis, each chapel being presided over by its "father".

The Society of Royal Cumberland Youths is a bell-ringing society, though little is known for certain of its history. It was established in 1747, and is said to have taken its name from the Duke of Cumberland, in honour of his bloody suppression of the Jacobite rising of 1745. It appears to have been based initially in the City of London, and always in the London area, though it rang peals throughout London and the home counties and especially in the church of St Leonard Shoreditch. The Society appears to have drawn its members from the ranks of the aristocracy and well-to-do professional classes. This much is apparent from the "Name books" or registers of members. Surviving records include the "Peal books" or records of peals rung, minute books and rules.

According to tradition, the Union Society of London was founded in 1835 by members of the Oxford and Cambridge Unions. Its stated object was the promotion of debate and its laws were analogous to those of the two University Unions. Debates were conducted in accordance with House of Commons principles. The Society originally met at the members' private houses in rotation. However, by 1844 it was meeting in Lyon's Inn, Wych Street. It subsequently held meetings at the Alpine Club, St. Martin's Place, 1865-8; Dick's Coffee House, 7 Fleet Street, 1869; the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, 1 Adam Street, 1870-86; and the Century Club, 6 Pall Mall Place, 1886-7. It was amalgamated with the Mansfield Debating Society in 1886. In February 1887, it was removed to the Inner Temple Lecture Hall where it remained until the beginning of the First World War, when attendances sank so low that meetings were held in members' chambers. From 1916 to its demise, ca. 1958, the Society met in the Middle Temple common room. Its membership comprised mainly members and students of the legal profession in addition to members of the Oxford and Cambridge Unions. Distinguished visitors were also invited to attend debates and the Society's annual dinner.

The Club was founded in 1877 as the General and Central Ward Club to discuss public affairs, especially relating to imperial, civic and guild matters. The City of London was divided into wards for the purpose of government as early as Norman times. The wards had responsibility to keep the peace, supervise trade and oversee sanitation, and each ward has the right to elect an Alderman and Commoners to sit in the Court of Common Council.

The troop was a society meeting weekly for social purposes; the officers of the society bore mock military titles and the members were known as troopers.