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."
Edgware Boys manor originates in a grant to the Order of St John of Jerusalem. The order are recorded as holding lands as tenants of the Manor of Edgware in 1277. In 1397 the first mention of a separate manor of Boys appears in a terrier document. After the Dissolution the manor was granted to Sir John Williams and Anthony Stringer, but they alienated it to Henry Page of Harrow. Henry's son sold it to John Scudamore in 1631, and it was then sold to Lord Coventry in 1637. The Coventry family sold it to William Lee of Totteridge Park in 1762. It remained in the Lee family until 1866, thereafter the descent is unclear.
From: 'Edgware: Manors', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 4: Harmondsworth, Hayes, Norwood with Southall, Hillingdon with Uxbridge, Ickenham, Northolt, Perivale, Ruislip, Edgware, Harrow with Pinner (1971), pp. 155-157 (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.
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.
A covenant or deed of covenant was an agreement entered into by one of the parties to a deed to another. A covenant for production of title deeds was an agreement to produce deeds not being handed over to a purchaser, while a covenant to surrender was an agreement to surrender copyhold land.
From the British Records Association "Guidelines 3 - Interpreting Deeds: How To Interpret Deeds - A Simple Guide And Glossary".
William George Lobjoit, 1859-1939, was owner of Osterley Park Farm and chairman of W.J. Lobjoit and Son, Ltd., (market gardeners). He represented Heston Electoral Division from 1907 until his election as County Alderman in 1919, remaining in office until his death. He was also chairman and/or member of various committees.
The London Liberal Federation was formed in 1903 to assist in maintaining Liberal Associations in the London area, to secure candidates, and to further political education. Its name was changed to the London Liberal Party during a general reorganisation in October 1943.
No historical information has been found for Thomas Poynder.
A militia force was raised from the civilian population of a county, in order to supplement the regular army in cases of emergency. In Middlesex they were called out at times of unrest. They came to be supplemented by volunteer forces. In times of emergency companies of volunteers were often raised, financed and governed by private committees of subscribers and in many cases remained in existence for only a few years, such as those raised by the 1794 Bill for "encouraging and disciplining such corps and companies of men as shall voluntarily enrol for the defence of their counties, towns and coasts or for the general defence of the Kingdom during the Present War [with France]".
There were around 300 militiamen in Middlesex in 1802. During the Napoleonic Wars this number rose to over 2000 by 1808 and 12,000 by 1812. More volunteer corps were raised in 1859, again in response to threat of French invasion. In 1881 the Army was organised into territorial regiments formed of regular, militia and volunteer battalions. Middlesex militia and volunteer battalions came under the Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own).
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).
Bevingtons and Sons Limited, leather merchants and manufacturers were based at Neckinger Mills, Bermondsey, Southwark. The Bevington family were Quakers originating from Warwickshire and neighbouring Gloucestershire and had been associated with tanning since at least the mid-seventeenth century. For most of its history, the leather industry was in the hands of numerous family firms, of which Bevington and Sons Limited is recognised as a significant example. By 1795 operations had been established under Samuel Bevington Senior at the former site of Neckinger Paper Mills. At this time his son Samuel Bourne Bevington was based in Yeovil, Somerset, another area associated with the leather industry.
From 1802, following the death of Samuel Bevington Senior, his sons Samuel Bourne, Henry, Richard and Timothy Bevington continued as partners in the family business. At the Neckinger Mills factory, Bevington and Sons produced and dealt in a wide range of leathers and leather goods, such as gloves. Products were made from foreign and domestic skins including kid, lamb, sheepskin and fine seal-skins. Light leathers, such as Morocco, were produced for making shoes and fancy goods. The company also had premises in Saint Thomas' Street, Bermondsey and in Cannon Street, City of London. The family had a home at 34 Gracechurch Street, City of London. Later business premises included Hawley Mills, Dartford, Kent. The now dissolved public limited company of Bevington and Sons (Neckinger) Limited was incorporated on 6/11/1931.
Members of the Bevington Family have been admitted to the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers. James Geoffrey Bevington, partner from 1927, became the last remaining member of the Bevington Family in the firm. The company moved to Leicester in 1980. As of 2012, Bevington Specialist Leathers exists as a division of Milton Leicester Ltd, North Street, Wigston, Leicester.
For further details see 'Bevingtons & Sons Ltd, 1795-1995' by Geoffrey Bevington, published by Bevington and Sons, 1991. Held in City of London Library Collection (Closed Access Pam 22433). An edition is also available in this collection (ACC/1616/G/01/004).
Following a dispute between the partners of Reid, Meux and Co., of the Griffin Brewery, Sir Henry Meux left the concern in 1807 and acquired the Horseshoe Brewery in Tottenham Court Road, WC1, trading as Henry Meux and Co.
Meux's Brewery Co Ltd was registered in 1888. In 1921 brewery was transferred to the Nine Elms Brewery in Wandsworth, which was subsequently renamed the Horseshoe Brewery. In 1956 the company merged with Friary, Holroyd and Healy's Breweries Ltd to form Friary Meux Limited. Production finally ceased at the Nine Elms Brewery in 1964.
Friary Meux Ltd was acquired by Allied Breweries Ltd in 1964.
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).
Perrys (Ealing) Limited were manufacturers of parts for the aeronautics industry. They were a sub-contractor of the Air Ministry.
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.
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 Manor of Dunsford developed out of lands held at Dunsford in the parish of Wandsworth by Merton Priory. According to the Victoria County History of Surrey, "by 1535 the possessions of the house {i.e. the Priory} in Wandsworth and Dunsford formed an estate of considerable value".
At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1538 the Manor passed to Charles Duke of Suffolk, who sold it in 1539 to Thomas Cromwell. When Thomas Cromwell was attainted, the Manor passed, in 1540, to the Crown, which held it until 1563 when it was granted to Lord Robert Dudley. Dudley sold it in the same year to Sir William Cecil, who in turn sold it in 1564 to John Swift (see E/BER/S/T/II/B/1/2). John Swift sold it to Thomas Smith in 1569 (see E/BER/S/T/II/B/1/3), and it stayed in the possession of his descendants until 1664 when it was sold to Sir Alan Brodrick. It passed in 1730 to his great nephew, Alan 2nd Viscount Middleton, and remained in the Middleton family until it was apparently sold to James Clark in 1851 (see ACC/1720/011 and ACC/1720/023).
As the title deeds in this collection show, a process of enfranchisement (that is, the process whereby copyhold tenants of the Manor bought the freehold to their property) had got under way by 1800 and continued throughout the century (see ACC/1720/023), leading to the disintegration of the Manor. This process is also indicated by the cessation of Courts Baron and Leet soon after James Clark bought the Manor.
Henry Whitehouse of Clerkenwell, was a 'moddler and chaser', married to Mary Thomas. A chaser specialises in engraving metal. Their son Henry Whitehouse junior, born 1843, was educated at the City of London School before being apprenticed to his father. Henry junior married Alice Shinn; their sons were Henry William Whitehouse who seems to have worked for a bank, and Edward Whitehouse. Henry William was married to Mabel Gibbs.
Sir John Maynard, 1602-1690, was a Member of Parliament and lawyer. In 1645 he was granted the books and manuscripts of the late Lord Chief Justice Bankes. In 1698/9 he was made Lord Commissioner of the Great Seal with Sir William Rawlinson. He was buried at Ealing and his library of manuscripts is now at Lincolns Inn Library.
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography notes: "having survived nearly all his family, Maynard left his property to his grandchildren in a will so tangled by the remainders he appointed that it required a private act of parliament and litigation to unravel" - the agreement in this collection arises from this action. Maynard's eldest daughter was married to Sir Duncumbe Colchester; his grand-daughters were married to Sir Henry Hobart and Thomas, Earl of Stafford.
Paul D. Halliday, 'Maynard, Sir John (1604-1690)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004.
Staines and District Citizens' Advice Bureau opened on 30 October 1967. The first aim of Citizens' Advice Bureaux is to provide information and advice to individuals so that they do not suffer through ignorance of their rights or an inability to express their wishes or complaints. The second aim is to influence national and local policy in the light of enquiries received by bureaux. The records of Staines Citizens' Advice Bureau reflect both these aims.
The Christian Brotherly Society (CBS) was founded at Dr Rippon's Meeting House, Carter Lane, Tooley Street, Southwark in 1783. From the beginning the main purpose of the Society was to provide a weekly allowance to members during ill-health. The Society also paid sums of money at the death of members (or their wives) and during periods of hardship.
Until its dissolution in 1980 the CBS was a registered Friendly Society.
Admission to the Society was dependent upon nomination by an existing member but certain other criteria had also to be fulfilled. Members had to make a profession of Christian belief (most were Nonconformists) and were expected to have a "moral character". Applicants also had to be between the ages of 16 and 30 (later 17 and 40) and engaged in a suitable trade. Soldiers and sailors were amongst those not admitted!
Funds were raised by monthly subscriptions but also by a series of fines imposed for a variety of reasons. For example, non attendance at meetings or refusing to serve the office of steward at meetings. Such payments are well documented in the records.
A charity school was founded in Wapping-Stepney in 1716 which was reorganised in 1719 as schools for 50 boys and 50 girls from the neighbourhood. The schools were run by a Master and a Mistress and were housed in Charles Street, Old Gravel Lane.
In 1736 Raine's Asylum, or Hospital, was established nearby as a boarding school for 40 girls, trained by a Matron for four years in order to take up domestic service on leaving. Girls were selected after two years elementary education at the charity, or lower, school founded in 1719.
The main benefactor of the schools and founder of the Asylum was Henry Raine (1679-1738) whose name was later attached to both establishments. A wealthy brewer and pious churchman who lived in Wapping-Stepney, he allocated wealth to the schools in 1719 which were also funded by donations and charity sermons. Raine's Asylum was endowed with freehold lands in Blackfriars and Castle Street, Stepney and stock from the South Sea Company; this was to provide for the board and clothing of the girls together with £210 annually for two marriage portions and two wedding festivals.
The marriage portion was available to past pupils of Raine's Asylum, aged 22 and above, who could produce certificates of good character from former masters and mistresses, and whose husbands were suitable members of the Church of England from the parishes of St. George in the East, St. Paul, Shadwell, and St. John at Wapping. On 1 May and 26 December of each year up to six candidates drew lots from a casket (in the custody of Raine's School) for marriage portions of £100, hence the nickname the 'Hundred pound School'. The last Wedding Festival was held in 1892.
The Trustees were incorporated by an Act of 1780. By this date, the area was changing rapidly and becoming increasingly populous; the construction of London Dock in 1802 forced the Asylum to sell large amounts of freehold property. At the same time many of the school's patrons were moving away from Stepney.
A new building was erected at the rear of the Asylum in 1820 at the same time as St. George's National School was founded within the site of Raine's schools; from 1780, there had been St. George's Scholars within the boys school and close links were maintained with the parish branch of the National Society, in association with the Middlesex Schools Society. This school amalgamated with the boys school in 1877.
Under the Education Act, 1870 the state took up the running of elementary education; the Trustees, therefore, under obligation from the deed of trust to provide free education unavailable elsewhere decided to raise and extend the education given by the foundation. Schemes approved by the Charity Commissioners led to the removal of the boys school to Cannon Street Road (1875), the removal of the girls school to the former National School buildings (1880-1885), the dissolution of the Corporation of Governors and Trustees of Raine's Charities and the constitution of a new governing body, served by a Clerk, to administer the Foundation (1880), and the closure of the Asylum (1883). This process of raising the standard of education continued when the schools became secondary schools (boys in 1897; girls in 1904) and known as a dual secondary school, 1904-1913. Endowments were re-directed to maintain 100 free scholarships with special encouragement given to technical training and close links with the College of City and Guilds of London Technical Institute. Provision was made for a Prepatory School from 1877 to 1904.
The school buildings soon proved inadequate and were condemned by the London County Council Education Officer's Department; the School, faced with an ultimatum of moving or losing its official aid, opted to remove to Arbour Square, Stepney (1911-1913) to a new building designed by H.O. Ellis. Here, the schools functioned as separate entities. Wartime evacuation took the boys school to Varndean School, Brighton in 1939 but moved the Junior School to Egham, Surrey and the Senior School to Camberley in 1940. The girls school removed to Hurstpierpoint, Sussex. In 1944 the schools became known as voluntary aided grammar schools and in 1964 the schools became co-educational as Raine's Foundation School. In 1976 the Upper School was merged with St. Jude's Church of England Secondary School and moved to Approach Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PY (buildings of the former Parmiter's School). The Lower School is now at Old Bethnal Green Road, London E2 6PR.
Solicitors and General Assurance Society was founded in 1846. It was a proprietary company. The Society had offices at 57 and later 52 Chancery Lane. It was acquired by Eagle Insurance in 1866.
Trent Insurance Company Limited was founded in 1940 as Hercules Marine. The name changed to Trent Marine in 1952, and to Trent Insurance in 1954. It was acquired by Eagle Star in 1967.
The 1867 Metropolitan Poor Law Act gave authority to the Poor Law Board to order the combination of unions and parishes within the metropolis to provide asylums for the sick poor other than the workhouse. The Central London Sick Asylum District comprised the Westminster and Strand Unions and the parishes of Saint Giles in the Fields and Saint George's Bloomsbury. In 1869 the parish of Saint Pancras was added. The District was dissolved in 1913.
The Cleveland Street Infirmary had been the Strand Union Infirmary. Before being taken over by the Strand Union it was the Saint Paul's Covent Garden parish workhouse. The appalling state of the wards and terrible standard of care in the Cleveland Street Infirmary was one of the factors which led to the introduction of the Metropolitan Poor Law Act. Cleveland Street runs betweeen the Euston Road and Goodge Street.
Highgate Asylum had been the Saint Pancras Union Infirmary, built in 1881. The Hendon Asylum, Colindale, was built by the Central London District between 1898-1900. It was sold in 1913 to the City of Westminster Union. In 1919 it was passed to the Metropolitan Asylums Board. It was still used as a hospital in the 1990s but is now closed.
The Aldermen were responsible for the administration of Wards, and were elected by their Ward. The position of Alderman was held for life. In the 12th and 13th centuries the Wards in the City of London are still mainly identified by the name of their Alderman although the first full list of Wards under permanent names such as Dowgate or Cornhill is dated 1285. The roots of municipal government in the City of London are thus found in the activities of the Aldermen in their Wards which in the medieval period provided such public services as existed. Working individually, or in co-operation, the power of the Aldermen grew as the corporate unity of the City of London developed and they exercised both administrative and judicial functions in what became the Court of Aldermen.
The General Purposes Committee of the Court of Aldermen is responsible for appointments to Committees, rota duties of Aldermen, charities, salaries of officers and the grant and increase of the liveries of City Companies.
The Aldermen were responsible for the administration of Wards, and were elected by their Ward. The position of Alderman was held for life. In the 12th and 13th centuries the Wards in the City of London are still mainly identified by the name of their Alderman although the first full list of Wards under permanent names such as Dowgate or Cornhill is dated 1285. The roots of municipal government in the City of London are thus found in the activities of the Aldermen in their Wards which in the medieval period provided such public services as existed. Working individually, or in co-operation, the power of the Aldermen grew as the corporate unity of the City of London developed and they exercised both administrative and judicial functions in what became the Court of Aldermen.
The Committee of the Whole Court was established to confer with the Government and others regarding the reform of the Corporation.
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 Affairs of the Corporation committee was appointed to enquire into assertions circulated by writer Josiah Dornford, a member of the Court of Common Council and the author of several pamphlets on the corporation's affairs and the reform of debtors' prisons. The Committee was formed to consider Dornford's allegations and to give their opinion as to whether any regulations ought to be introduced for the better management of the City and Bridgehouse estates and their revenues.
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.