The Watford and District Synagogue was founded in 1946 and is situated on Nascot Road, Bushey. It was formerly called the Watford and Bushey Associated Synagogue. This synagogue was admitted as an Affiliated member of the United Synagogue in 1948 and is now a Constituent member.
A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.
Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.
An assignment of a lease is the transfer of the rights laid out in the lease to another party, usually for a consideration (a sum of money).
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
Medical services within the counties of London and Middlesex were directed by the County Medical Officer of Health, who managed various medical officers including doctors, dentists, nurses, technical staff and clerical staff. The County Health Department's work included maternity and child health services, care and aftercare of the ill, prevention of illness, health education, school health services, mental health services and health control.
The Metropolitan Association of Medical Officers of Health was established on 3 April 1856 as a professional association for medical officers of health. The name was changed to the Society of Medical Officers of Health in 1873, and to the Society of Public Health in 1989.
Enfield Wel-Care operated within that borough as an inter-denominational Christian organisation providing social work, help and support in whatever field it was necessary. A great deal of time was devoted to helping unsupported mothers both before and after the birth of their child. Projects included Night Stop Service, Enfield Bereavement Service, Enfield Refugee Action Group, Single Homeless Project and Enfield Church and Industry Group, from 1985 known as the Enfield Christian Social Responsibility Association.
By the early 1980s it was felt that Wel-Care was too small to continue in isolation. On 25 March 1986 it was dissolved and merged with the Enfield Christian Social Responsibility Association as the Family Care Department.
The Foundling Hospital was established by Royal Charter on 17 October 1739 by Thomas Coram as a refuge for abandoned, illegitimate children. The Hospital was laid in Lamb's Conduit Fields, Bloomsbury, an as yet undeveloped area beyond the city. Admission to the Hospital was initially restricted because of the lack of funds. Infants were to be less than two months old and in good health to qualify for entry, and admissions were made on a first come first served basis. Once a child had been accepted he or she was baptised and thereby given a new name. The child was then boarded out to a dry or wet nurse in the country. These nurses were mostly in the Home Counties but could be as far away as West Yorkshire or Shropshire. The nurses were monitored by voluntary inspectors. On reaching 3 years of age, the child was returned to the Hospital to receive basic schooling and he or she would remain there until apprenticed out to trades or service, or enlisted in the armed forces.
From 1760 a new system was adopted which involved mothers submitting written petitions to the Hospital which were then assessed by committee. This petition system formed the basis of all subsequent admissions to the Hospital and the survival of these petitions in the collection provides a valuable insight into the backgrounds and circumstances of the mothers.
Consultation of the Hospital records held at LMA (reference A/FH) reveals the story of Mary Green's admission. According to the petition document (A/FH/A/08/001/002/023) her mother, Ann Moore of 26 Salsbury Street, Bermondsey, was an unmarried 19 year old. She had been working as a housemaid at the house of Mr Morgan, a surgeon, where she was seduced by his assistant Thomas Parkin, who "talked of marriage but never promised her". Before the pregnancy was revealed Mr Morgan fired Parkin for "disorderly conduct" and his mounting debts; while Ann was made redundant along with all the other servants in an attempt to solve disagreements among the staff. She was given a good character reference and found a new position with Mrs Sarah Peacock. On the 14 September 1814 she was "delivered of a female child". The father could not be traced. Mrs Peacock sponsored her petition to the Foundling Hospital, describing her as honest, sober, obliging and clean.
The baby was admitted to the Hospital on 12 November 1814, aged 2 months, and given the name Mary Green (general register, A/FH/A/09/002/005). She was sent into the country to a wet nurse, and was confirmed in June 1829. Mary was apprenticed in December 1829 to merchant Louis Perrottet of No 4 North Crescent, Bedford Square, "to be instructed in household business" (apprenticeship register, A/FH/A/12/003/002). Jane Taunton, another foundling who was admitted only a few days before Mary was also apprenticed to Perrottet. Their apprenticeship indentures expired in September 1835.
The Central British Fund for World Jewish Relief was founded in the early months of 1933 by a group of Anglo-Jewish community leaders, in response to the appointment of Adolph Hitler as Chancellor of Germany on a platform of anti-Semitism. Among the founders were Antony de Rothschild, Leonard G. Montefiore and Otto Schiff.
The Fund has been through many name changes in its lifetime. It started out as the Central British Fund for German Jewry, then became part of the new Council for German Jewry in 1936 along with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the American United Palestine Appeal. On the outbreak of World War Two in 1939 the Fund changed its name to the Central Council for Jewish Refugees, and in 1944 changed again to the Central British Fund for World Jewish Relief. After many years as the Central British Fund for World Jewish Relief, the organisation is now known as World Jewish Relief.
The Fund's mission, according to its Memorandum of Association, was "to relieve or assist Jewish refugees in any part of the world in such manner and on such terms and conditions (if any) as may be thought fit." In this work the fund was aided by various organisations, including the Jewish Refugees Committee (JRC) which was founded by Otto Schiff in 1933; the Children's Refugee Movement (established by the JRC and the Inter-Aid Committee); and the Jewish Committee for Relief Abroad, which was established in 1943 and financed by the Central Council for Jewish Refugees (as the Central British Fund was then known).
Harris Meyer Lazarus was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1878. He emigrated to England in June 1897, Anglicizing his name Hirsch to Harris. In 1898 he entered Jews' College, gaining semicha (rabbinical ordination) in 1910. Between 1904 and 1906 he taught in the East End at the Toynbee Hall Hebrew training classes, before being appointed minister of the Brondesbury synagogue, where he remained until 1938.
In 1914 he began to work at the bet din (court) as a dayan (judge), combining this with his congregational duties until 1945, when he retired from the synagogue and became a full-time dayan. Between 1946 and 1948 Lazarus acted as Deputy for the Chief Rabbi, or Acting Chief Rabbi, following the unexpected death of Joseph Hertz and until the installation of Israel Brodie.
Source of information: Sharman Kadish, "Lazarus, Harris Meyer (1878-1962)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/70155, accessed 3 March 2010].
The Manor of Newington Barrow or Highbury was owned by the priory of Saint John of Jerusalem, Clerkenwell, from 1270 to the Dissolution. From 1548 to 1629 it was owned by various members of the royal family, then sold to Sir Allen Apsley and thence to various owners. In 1773 the owner George Colebrooke was bankrupted and sold the demense lands and the site of the manor house. The manorial rights and quitrents were sold separately, but cannot be traced after 1877.
The manor house at Highbury was a substantial stone building used as a summer residence by the priors of Saint John of Jerusalem. It was destroyed in 1381 by followers of Jack Straw, who hated the then prior. It was subsequently known colloquially as 'Jack Straw's Castle'. The later house was known as Highbury Barn and was a well-known tea gardens in the eighteenth century.
From 'Islington: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 8: Islington and Stoke Newington parishes (1985), pp. 51-57 (available online).
William Robinson was born in Tottenham in 1777. He was a barrister and practised as a solicitor in Bartlett's Buildings, Holborn, London. He also had a keen interest in topography and local history. He wrote The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Tottenham High Cross, in the County of Middlesex, comprising an account of the manors, the church, and other miscellaneous matter (1818, 2nd ed 1840); The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Edmonton, in the County of Middlesex (1819); The History and Antiquities of Enfield, in the County of Middlesex (1823); The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Hackney, in the County of Middlesex (1842); The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Stoke Newington, in the County of Middlesex (1820, 2nd ed 1842) and A Short History of Ancient Britain (1845). He also wrote several legal manuals and text books. He was elected fellow of the Society of Antiquaries on 25 March 1819. Robinson died in Tottenham in 1848.
A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.
Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.
Abstract of title is a summary of prior ownership of a property, drawn up by solicitors. Such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months, and was usually drawn up just prior to a sale.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
These papers relating to Heston and Isleworth were collected for their general or antiquarian interest and relevance to the subject, rather than having a united provenance (that is, being produced by the same institution or business).
Holliday and Greenwood was incorporated as a limited liability company in 1901 by James Samuel Holliday of Dulwich Common and Benjamin Isaac Greenwood of Shoreham, Kent. The company undertook a wide variety of contracts which included offices, factories, housing, shops, hospitals and schools in and around the London area. The first company office and works were situated at Loughborough Park, Brixton. In 1915 both operations were transferred to Stewarts Road, Battersea. Ten years later the offices were relocated to 146 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1, while the works, which by this time included a saw mill, joinery works, trade workshops and stores remained in Battersea. In 1962 the company was taken over by Higgs and Hill Limited, but continued to trade under the Holliday and Greenwood name until 1970.
The Aerated Bread Company Limited was incorporated on 28 October 1862 as bakers, confectioners and light refreshment contractors. The first bakery was in Islington, with offices at 17 Camden Road, until it moved at the turn of the 20th century to Soho. A factory was built in Camden Road in 1930. By 1923 it had 150 branch shops in London and 250 tea rooms. The firm was taken over by Allied Bakeries Limited in 1955 which became in turn a subsidiary of Associated British Foods Limited. It is believed that it ceased trading in the early 1980s.
Peter and John Causton are described as merchants, importing from Spain; while James Causton was the game keeper of the manor of Butlers in Suffolk.
A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.
Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.
Abstract of title is a summary of prior ownership of a property, drawn up by solicitors. Such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months, and was usually drawn up just prior to a sale.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.
Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.
An assignment of term, or assignment to attend the inheritance, was an assignment of the remaining term of years in a mortgage to a trustee after the mortgage itself has been redeemed. An assignment of a lease is the transfer of the rights laid out in the lease to another party, usually for a consideration (a sum of money).
Abstract of title is a summary of prior ownership of a property, drawn up by solicitors. Such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months, and was usually drawn up just prior to a sale.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.
Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.
Lease and release was the most common method of conveying freehold property from the later seventeenth century onwards, before the introduction of the modern conveyance in the late nineteenth century. The lease was granted for a year (sometimes six months), then on the following day the lessor released their right of ownership in return for the consideration (the thing for which land was transferred from one party to another, usually, of course, a sum of money).
A 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.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
The New Road Synagogue, situated at 115 New Road, Whitechapel, was established in 1895. Dunk Street Beth Hamerdash, also situated in Whitechapel, was incorporated into the New Road Synagogue in the 1960s, having been founded in 1907. Both establishments were affiliated to the Federation of Synagogues. The New Road Synagogue amalgamated with the East London Central Synagogue in 1974.
Sir William Clay, first baronet, was born in 1791. His father George Clay was a shipowner and merchant. William entered the family business. He also served as MP for Tower Hamlets between 1832 and 1857; was Secretary to the Board of Control, and was magistrate for Middlesex and Westminster. In 1822 he married the daughter of Mr Thomas Dickason of Twickenham, and had 6 daughters and 3 sons. He died at Cadogan Place in 1869, aged 77.
Information from The Times, Wednesday, Mar 17, 1869; pg. 12; Issue 26387; col A
The Eve family was a famous surveying dynasty and the firm was based in Hitchin. Their business activities extended to Greater London, Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas. Sir Herbert Trustram Eve (1865-1936) was the son of J. Richard Eve FSI, agricultural valuer of Silsoe, Bedfordshire. He entered his father's office in 1882 and in 1902 became head of J.R. Eve and Sons. He became a leading authority on rating and valuation, especially agricultural. In 1918 Herbert Trustram Eve was awarded the KBE and became President of the Rating Surveyors Association. The firm is now part of Warmington's, Offley Hoo, Great Offley, Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
The Kashrut Division is the largest single department of the London Beth Din (the Beth Din gives advice on halachic matters and is the ecclesiastical authority on Kashrut and Shechita for the majority of Anglo-Jewry; it supervises religious conversions, divorces, adoptions and deals with determination on Jewish status). The Division is responsible for the licensing of restaurants, hotels, bakeries and similar establishments, and supervision of catered events per year, and certification of almost 700 factories worldwide.
The Kashrut Division produces The Really Jewish Food Guide annually. This lists several thousand products whose kosher status have been approved by the Beth Din on the basis of research by Food Technologists into ingredients, processing aids, and any shared use of equipment.
Noyes and Company, ironmongers, were based at Old Street.
According to a letter heading in the first minute book, the firm was established in 1908. Trade directories show Caffin and Company having an office in Craven Street, just off the Strand, from 1912, at which date the firm was described as 'Railway Contractors'. The firm was incorporated in 1921.
A deed is any document affecting title, that is, proof of ownership, of the land in question. The land may or may not have buildings upon it. Common types of deed include conveyances, mortgages, bonds, grants of easements, wills and administrations.
Conveyances are transfers of land from one party to another, usually for money. Early forms of conveyance include feoffments, surrenders and admissions at manor courts (if the property was copyhold), final concords, common recoveries, bargains and sales and leases and releases.
Abstract of title is a summary of prior ownership of a property, drawn up by solicitors. Such an abstract may go back several hundred years or just a few months, and was usually drawn up just prior to a sale.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
The Manor of Osterley in Heston was purchased by property developer Nicholas Barbon in 1683. Barbon conveyed the Manor to two co-mortgagees including the banker Sir Francis Child the elder (1642-1718). Child took possession of the Manor on Barbon's death in 1698, while his son Robert Child (d. 1721) bought out the co-mortgagee, so that the Child family owned the whole estate. The family expanded the estates by purchasing nearby Manors and commissioned Robert Adam to redesign the house.
The estates and Child's Bank were inherited by Sarah Anne (1764-1793), daughter and sole heir of Robert Child (d. 1782). Under the terms of Robert Child's will the estates passed to Sarah Anne's daughter Lady Sarah Sophia Fane (1785-1867), who was said to have an income of £60,000 a year. Lady Sarah married George Villiers, the fifth Earl of Jersey (1773-1859) who took the name Child-Villiers in 1812. Osterley Park stayed in the Jersey family until 1949 when it was sold to the National Trust. No 38 Berkeley Square was for many years the London town house of the Child-Villiers.
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 National Licensed Victuallers Association was formed from the merger of a number of smaller bodies, such as the National Union of Licensed Victuallers (which itself was formed from the union of the Licensed Victuallers Central Protection Society of London and the Licensed Victuallers Defence League).
The various associations had similar aims - to protect the business interests of licensed victuallers (holders of a licence to run a public house) and to act as lobbying bodies on their behalf. This included protecting the interests of tenant landlords (many pubs were owned by breweries who rented them to the publican) and defending the trade on a national level, from the temperance movement and the government who often attempted to tighten licensing controls.
The original registered office of Hagenbach Properties Limited was at 2 King Street, Wakefield. This frequently changed as did the place of meeting. Projects tended to be in Cornwall and West Yorkshire. Later meetings were held at 24 North Row, W1 and at Park Street, W1.
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".
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
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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
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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.