Holy Trinity was constructed in 1886. It was closed in 1960 and demolished in 1974. The parish was united with the parish of Saint Mary Magdalene with Saint Michael and All Angels (P97/MRY, P97/MAA1).
An Act of 1792 established seven 'Public Offices' (later Police offices and Police courts) in the central Metropolitan area. The aim was to establish fixed locations where 'fit and able magistrates' would attend at fixed times to deal with an increasing number of criminal offences.
Offices were opened in St Margaret Westminster, St James Westminster, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Shadwell and Southwark. An office in Bow Street, Covent Garden, originally the home of the local magistrate, had been operating for almost 50 years and was largely the model for the new offices.
In 1800 the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office, opened by 'private enterprise' in 1798, was incorporated into the statutory system. In 1821 an office was opened in Marylebone, apparently replacing the one in Shadwell.
Each office was assigned three Justices of the Peace. They were to receive a salary of £400 per annum. These were the first stipendiary magistrates. Later they were expected to be highly qualified in the law, indeed, to be experienced barristers. This distinguished them from the local lay justices who after the setting up of Police Offices were largely confined, in the Metropolitan area, to the licensing of innkeepers. In addition each office could appoint up to six constables to be attached to it.
The commonly used term of 'Police Court' was found to be misleading. The word 'police' gave the impression that the Metropolitan Police controlled and administered the courts. This was never the case, the word 'police' was being used in its original meaning of 'pertaining to civil administration', 'regulating', etc.
In April 1965 (following the Administration of Justice Act 1964) the London Police Courts with their stipendiary magistrates were integrated with the lay magistrates to form the modern Inner London Magistrates' Courts.
The police courts dealt with a wide range of business coming under the general heading of 'summary jurisdiction', i.e. trial without a jury. The cases heard were largely criminal and of the less serious kind. Over the years statutes created many offences that the courts could deal with in addition to Common Law offences. Examples include: drunk and disorderly conduct, assault, theft, begging, possessing stolen goods, cruelty to animals, desertion from the armed forces, betting, soliciting, loitering with intent, obstructing highways, and motoring offences. Non-criminal matters included small debts concerning income tax and local rates, landlord and tenant matters, matrimonial problems and bastardy.
Offences beyond the powers of the Court would normally be passed to the Sessions of the Peace or Gaol Delivery Sessions in the Old Bailey (from 1835 called the Central Criminal Court). From the late 19th century such cases would be the subject of preliminary hearings or committal proceedings in the magistrates' courts.
Outside the London Police Court Area but within the administrative county of Middlesex lay justices continued to deal with both criminal offences and administrative matters such as the licensing of innkeepers.
The exact area covered by a Court at any particular time can be found in the Kelly's Post Office London Directories, available on microfilm at LMA. The entries are based on the original Orders-in-Council establishing police court districts. A map showing police court districts is kept in the Information Area of LMA with other reference maps. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
Highgate Petty Sessional Division: In October 1890 a new petty sessional division was formed out of that part of the old Finsbury Petty Sessional Division falling within the new administrative county of Middlesex. This new division included the parishes of Hornsey, Finchley, and Friern Barnet. It was given the name Highgate Petty Sessional Division. The name was taken from the village of Highgate, part of which was in Hornsey parish. The justices of the old Finsbury Division had had a meeting place in Highgate from at least 1879 and the new division continued to be based there.
History: An Act of 1792 established seven 'Public Offices' (later Police offices and Police courts) in the central Metropolitan area. The aim was to establish fixed locations where 'fit and able magistrates' would attend at fixed times to deal with an increasing number of criminal offences.
Offices were opened in St Margaret Westminster, St James Westminster, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Shadwell and Southwark. An office in Bow Street, Covent Garden, originally the home of the local magistrate, had been operating for almost 50 years and was largely the model for the new offices.
In 1800 the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office, opened by 'private enterprise' in 1798, was incorporated into the statutory system. In 1821 an office was opened in Marylebone, apparently replacing the one in Shadwell.
Each office was assigned three Justices of the Peace. They were to receive a salary of £400 per annum. These were the first stipendiary magistrates. Later they were expected to be highly qualified in the law, indeed, to be experienced barristers. This distinguished them from the local lay justices who after the setting up of Police Offices were largely confined, in the Metropolitan area, to the licensing of innkeepers. In addition each office could appoint up to six constables to be attached to it.
The commonly used term of 'Police Court' was found to be misleading. The word 'police' gave the impression that the Metropolitan Police controlled and administered the courts. This was never the case, the word 'police' was being used in its original meaning of 'pertaining to civil administration', 'regulating', etc.
In April 1965 (following the Administration of Justice Act 1964) the London Police Courts with their stipendiary magistrates were integrated with the lay magistrates to form the modern Inner London Magistrates' Courts.
The police courts dealt with a wide range of business coming under the general heading of 'summary jurisdiction', i.e. trial without a jury. The cases heard were largely criminal and of the less serious kind. Over the years statutes created many offences that the courts could deal with in addition to Common Law offences. Examples include: drunk and disorderly conduct, assault, theft, begging, possessing stolen goods, cruelty to animals, desertion from the armed forces, betting, soliciting, loitering with intent, obstructing highways, and motoring offences. Non-criminal matters included small debts concerning income tax and local rates, landlord and tenant matters, matrimonial problems and bastardy.
Offences beyond the powers of the Court would normally be passed to the Sessions of the Peace or Gaol Delivery Sessions in the Old Bailey (from 1835 called the Central Criminal Court). From the late 19th century such cases would be the subject of preliminary hearings or committal proceedings in the magistrates' courts.
Outside the London Police Court Area but within the administrative county of Middlesex lay justices continued to deal with both criminal offences and administrative matters such as the licensing of innkeepers.
The exact area covered by a Court at any particular time can be found in the Kelly's Post Office London Directories, available on microfilm at LMA. The entries are based on the original Orders-in-Council establishing police court districts. A map showing police court districts is kept in the Information Area of LMA with other reference maps. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court: Horseferry Road Magistrates' Court opened in 1974 in response to the demand for more courtrooms in London. It joined Bow Street and Marlborough Street Magistrates' Courts as part of the South Westminster Petty Sessions Division of the Inner London Magistrates' Court Service.
Horseferry Road opened with four courtrooms to which two more were added in the early 1980s. Originally named after Horseferry Road where the court is sited, it was renamed The City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in July 2006 after the closure of Bow Street.
History of magistrates courts: An Act of 1792 established seven 'Public Offices' (later Police offices and Police courts) in the central Metropolitan area. The aim was to establish fixed locations where 'fit and able magistrates' would attend at fixed times to deal with an increasing number of criminal offences.
Offices were opened in St Margaret Westminster, St James Westminster, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Shadwell and Southwark. An office in Bow Street, Covent Garden, originally the home of the local magistrate, had been operating for almost 50 years and was largely the model for the new offices.
In 1800 the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office, opened by 'private enterprise' in 1798, was incorporated into the statutory system. In 1821 an office was opened in Marylebone, apparently replacing the one in Shadwell.
Each office was assigned three Justices of the Peace. They were to receive a salary of £400 per annum. These were the first stipendiary magistrates. Later they were expected to be highly qualified in the law, indeed, to be experienced barristers. This distinguished them from the local lay justices who after the setting up of Police Offices were largely confined, in the Metropolitan area, to the licensing of innkeepers. In addition each office could appoint up to six constables to be attached to it.
The commonly used term of 'Police Court' was found to be misleading. The word 'police' gave the impression that the Metropolitan Police controlled and administered the courts. This was never the case, the word 'police' was being used in its original meaning of 'pertaining to civil administration', 'regulating', etc.
In April 1965 (following the Administration of Justice Act 1964) the London Police Courts with their stipendiary magistrates were integrated with the lay magistrates to form the modern Inner London Magistrates' Courts.
The police courts dealt with a wide range of business coming under the general heading of 'summary jurisdiction', i.e. trial without a jury. The cases heard were largely criminal and of the less serious kind. Over the years statutes created many offences that the courts could deal with in addition to Common Law offences. Examples include: drunk and disorderly conduct, assault, theft, begging, possessing stolen goods, cruelty to animals, desertion from the armed forces, betting, soliciting, loitering with intent, obstructing highways, and motoring offences. Non-criminal matters included small debts concerning income tax and local rates, landlord and tenant matters, matrimonial problems and bastardy.
Offences beyond the powers of the Court would normally be passed to the Sessions of the Peace or Gaol Delivery Sessions in the Old Bailey (from 1835 called the Central Criminal Court). From the late 19th century such cases would be the subject of preliminary hearings or committal proceedings in the magistrates' courts.
Outside the London Police Court Area but within the administrative county of Middlesex lay justices continued to deal with both criminal offences and administrative matters such as the licensing of innkeepers.
The exact area covered by a Court at any particular time can be found in the Kelly's Post Office London Directories, available on microfilm at LMA. The entries are based on the original Orders-in-Council establishing police court districts. A map showing police court districts is kept in the Information Area of LMA with other reference maps. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
Before the 1840s children received the same treatment in the courts as adults. Changes began tentatively in 1847, when the Juvenile Offenders Act permitted children not over the age of 14 and charged with simple larceny, to be tried and sentenced by two lay justices of the peace or one stipendiary magistrate. This was an alternative to the usual full court hearing by indictment before a jury (see MSJ/CY series in the Middlesex Sessions records).
The Summary Jurisdiction Act 1879 enlarged the provisions of the 1847 Act. Offenders under the age of 16 could be tried summarily for nearly all indictable offences. This reduced the number of juveniles in prison and simplified the trial process. However, juveniles still had to mix with adult defendants and prisoners.
The 1908 Children Act at last established separate juvenile courts. Cases concerning persons under 16 were to be heard in a separate room or building and at separate times from adult cases. The Act authorised the establishment by Order-in-Council of separate juvenile courts for the Metropolitan Police District.
An Order-in-Council, 2 December 1909, established six juvenile courts to cover the then fourteen police court districts. These courts were: Bow Street, Clerkenwell, Tower Bridge, Westminster, Old Street, and Greenwich. These courts were presided over by a Metropolitan stipendiary magistrate sitting alone.
From 1920, under the Juvenile Courts (Metropolis) Act, the Metropolitan Magistrate was to be joined by two lay justices (one to be a woman) drawn from a panel nominated by the Home Secretary. From the mid-1930s the juvenile courts became largely the preserve of lay justices.
In the early 1930s all the Metropolitan juvenile courts were administered from Bow Street. A Chief Clerk was subsequently appointed to deal solely with juvenile courts and was given full-time staff. This centralised administration still continues.
The original six courts, after 1909, changed names and location several times and were gradually increased. These changes can be traced in the Post Office Directories in the History Library.
Under the Administration of Justice Act 1964 and the London Government Act 1963 a unified system of magistrates' courts for Inner London was established, of which the juvenile courts formed part. At least one juvenile court was established for each of the new London Boroughs.
North London Magistrate's Court was based at 82 Stoke Newington Road, N16.
An Act of 1792 established seven 'Public Offices' (later Police offices and Police courts) in the central Metropolitan area. The aim was to establish fixed locations where 'fit and able magistrates' would attend at fixed times to deal with an increasing number of criminal offences.
Offices were opened in St Margaret Westminster, St James Westminster, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Shadwell and Southwark. An office in Bow Street, Covent Garden, originally the home of the local magistrate, had been operating for almost 50 years and was largely the model for the new offices.
In 1800 the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office, opened by 'private enterprise' in 1798, was incorporated into the statutory system. In 1821 an office was opened in Marylebone, apparently replacing the one in Shadwell.
Each office was assigned three Justices of the Peace. They were to receive a salary of £400 per annum. These were the first stipendiary magistrates. Later they were expected to be highly qualified in the law, indeed, to be experienced barristers. This distinguished them from the local lay justices who after the setting up of Police Offices were largely confined, in the Metropolitan area, to the licensing of innkeepers. In addition each office could appoint up to six constables to be attached to it.
The commonly used term of 'Police Court' was found to be misleading. The word 'police' gave the impression that the Metropolitan Police controlled and administered the courts. This was never the case, the word 'police' was being used in its original meaning of 'pertaining to civil administration', 'regulating', etc.
In April 1965 (following the Administration of Justice Act 1964) the London Police Courts with their stipendiary magistrates were integrated with the lay magistrates to form the modern Inner London Magistrates' Courts.
The police courts dealt with a wide range of business coming under the general heading of 'summary jurisdiction', i.e. trial without a jury. The cases heard were largely criminal and of the less serious kind. Over the years statutes created many offences that the courts could deal with in addition to Common Law offences. Examples include: drunk and disorderly conduct, assault, theft, begging, possessing stolen goods, cruelty to animals, desertion from the armed forces, betting, soliciting, loitering with intent, obstructing highways, and motoring offences. Non-criminal matters included small debts concerning income tax and local rates, landlord and tenant matters, matrimonial problems and bastardy.
Offences beyond the powers of the Court would normally be passed to the Sessions of the Peace or Gaol Delivery Sessions in the Old Bailey (from 1835 called the Central Criminal Court). From the late 19th century such cases would be the subject of preliminary hearings or committal proceedings in the magistrates' courts.
Outside the London Police Court Area but within the administrative county of Middlesex lay justices continued to deal with both criminal offences and administrative matters such as the licensing of innkeepers.
The exact area covered by a Court at any particular time can be found in the Kelly's Post Office London Directories, available on microfilm at LMA. The entries are based on the original Orders-in-Council establishing police court districts. A map showing police court districts is kept in the Information Area of LMA with other reference maps. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
Saint Pancras Petty Sessional Division: The parish of St Pancras (including most of Highgate) fell within the division of Holborn of Ossulston Hundred. Some time during the first quarter of the 19th century, St Pancras Justices of the Peace met together in unofficial sessions particularly for licensing purposes, separately from the full division. St Pancras became a fully autonomous petty sessional division by order of the Middlesex Sessions in 1853. On 1 July 1956 the St Pancras Division was incorporated into the New River Division.
An Act of 1792 established seven 'Public Offices' (later Police offices and Police courts) in the central Metropolitan area. The aim was to establish fixed locations where 'fit and able magistrates' would attend at fixed times to deal with an increasing number of criminal offences.
Offices were opened in St Margaret Westminster, St James Westminster, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Shadwell and Southwark. An office in Bow Street, Covent Garden, originally the home of the local magistrate, had been operating for almost 50 years and was largely the model for the new offices.
In 1800 the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office, opened by 'private enterprise' in 1798, was incorporated into the statutory system. In 1821 an office was opened in Marylebone, apparently replacing the one in Shadwell.
Each office was assigned three Justices of the Peace. They were to receive a salary of £400 per annum. These were the first stipendiary magistrates. Later they were expected to be highly qualified in the law, indeed, to be experienced barristers. This distinguished them from the local lay justices who after the setting up of Police Offices were largely confined, in the Metropolitan area, to the licensing of innkeepers. In addition each office could appoint up to six constables to be attached to it.
The commonly used term of 'Police Court' was found to be misleading. The word 'police' gave the impression that the Metropolitan Police controlled and administered the courts. This was never the case, the word 'police' was being used in its original meaning of 'pertaining to civil administration', 'regulating', etc.
In April 1965 (following the Administration of Justice Act 1964) the London Police Courts with their stipendiary magistrates were integrated with the lay magistrates to form the modern Inner London Magistrates' Courts.
The police courts dealt with a wide range of business coming under the general heading of 'summary jurisdiction', i.e. trial without a jury. The cases heard were largely criminal and of the less serious kind. Over the years statutes created many offences that the courts could deal with in addition to Common Law offences. Examples include: drunk and disorderly conduct, assault, theft, begging, possessing stolen goods, cruelty to animals, desertion from the armed forces, betting, soliciting, loitering with intent, obstructing highways, and motoring offences. Non-criminal matters included small debts concerning income tax and local rates, landlord and tenant matters, matrimonial problems and bastardy.
Offences beyond the powers of the Court would normally be passed to the Sessions of the Peace or Gaol Delivery Sessions in the Old Bailey (from 1835 called the Central Criminal Court). From the late 19th century such cases would be the subject of preliminary hearings or committal proceedings in the magistrates' courts.
Outside the London Police Court Area but within the administrative county of Middlesex lay justices continued to deal with both criminal offences and administrative matters such as the licensing of innkeepers.
The exact area covered by a Court at any particular time can be found in the Kelly's Post Office London Directories, available on microfilm at LMA. The entries are based on the original Orders-in-Council establishing police court districts. A map showing police court districts is kept in the Information Area of LMA with other reference maps. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
Thames Magistrates Court:
Thames Police Court was in origin the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office opened at the instigation of merchants and dock owners and Patrick Colquhoun in 1798, and regularised by Act of Parliament in 1800. It was probably amalgamated with the Police Office in High Street Shadwell in 1839/40 and with the Lambeth Street, Whitechapel, Police District in 1845. In 1841 it was situated at 255 Wapping High Street. In 1844 it moved to Arbour Street, Stepney, where it remained, undergoing changes of address because of street-name changes: 1922-1939 Charles Street and 1939 onwards Aylward Street, Stepney.
History of magistrates courts:
An Act of 1792 established seven 'Public Offices' (later Police offices and Police courts) in the central Metropolitan area. The aim was to establish fixed locations where 'fit and able magistrates' would attend at fixed times to deal with an increasing number of criminal offences.
Offices were opened in St Margaret Westminster, St James Westminster, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Shadwell and Southwark. An office in Bow Street, Covent Garden, originally the home of the local magistrate, had been operating for almost 50 years and was largely the model for the new offices.
In 1800 the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office, opened by 'private enterprise' in 1798, was incorporated into the statutory system. In 1821 an office was opened in Marylebone, apparently replacing the one in Shadwell.
Each office was assigned three Justices of the Peace. They were to receive a salary of £400 per annum. These were the first stipendiary magistrates. Later they were expected to be highly qualified in the law, indeed, to be experienced barristers. This distinguished them from the local lay justices who after the setting up of Police Offices were largely confined, in the Metropolitan area, to the licensing of innkeepers. In addition each office could appoint up to six constables to be attached to it.
The commonly used term of 'Police Court' was found to be misleading. The word 'police' gave the impression that the Metropolitan Police controlled and administered the courts. This was never the case, the word 'police' was being used in its original meaning of 'pertaining to civil administration', 'regulating', etc.
In April 1965 (following the Administration of Justice Act 1964) the London Police Courts with their stipendiary magistrates were integrated with the lay magistrates to form the modern Inner London Magistrates' Courts.
The police courts dealt with a wide range of business coming under the general heading of 'summary jurisdiction', i.e. trial without a jury. The cases heard were largely criminal and of the less serious kind. Over the years statutes created many offences that the courts could deal with in addition to Common Law offences. Examples include: drunk and disorderly conduct, assault, theft, begging, possessing stolen goods, cruelty to animals, desertion from the armed forces, betting, soliciting, loitering with intent, obstructing highways, and motoring offences. Non-criminal matters included small debts concerning income tax and local rates, landlord and tenant matters, matrimonial problems and bastardy.
Offences beyond the powers of the Court would normally be passed to the Sessions of the Peace or Gaol Delivery Sessions in the Old Bailey (from 1835 called the Central Criminal Court). From the late 19th century such cases would be the subject of preliminary hearings or committal proceedings in the magistrates' courts.
Outside the London Police Court Area but within the administrative county of Middlesex lay justices continued to deal with both criminal offences and administrative matters such as the licensing of innkeepers.
The exact area covered by a Court at any particular time can be found in the Kelly's Post Office London Directories, available on microfilm at LMA. The entries are based on the original Orders-in-Council establishing police court districts. A map showing police court districts is kept in the Information Area of LMA with other reference maps. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
Tower Bridge Magistrates Court:
Under the 1792 Act a public office was opened in Union Hall, Union Street, Southwark, serving a district covering a large part of South London including Lambeth and Southwark. In 1845 the district was split and shared between two new courts, the Lambeth Police Court and Southwark Police Court. The latter was recorded as being in Blackman Street, Borough in 1845, and at 298 Borough High Street in 1892. The court moved in 1905 to Tooley Street and changed its name to Tower Bridge Police Court.
History of magistrates courts:
An Act of 1792 established seven 'Public Offices' (later Police offices and Police courts) in the central Metropolitan area. The aim was to establish fixed locations where 'fit and able magistrates' would attend at fixed times to deal with an increasing number of criminal offences.
Offices were opened in St Margaret Westminster, St James Westminster, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Shadwell and Southwark. An office in Bow Street, Covent Garden, originally the home of the local magistrate, had been operating for almost 50 years and was largely the model for the new offices.
In 1800 the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office, opened by 'private enterprise' in 1798, was incorporated into the statutory system. In 1821 an office was opened in Marylebone, apparently replacing the one in Shadwell.
Each office was assigned three Justices of the Peace. They were to receive a salary of £400 per annum. These were the first stipendiary magistrates. Later they were expected to be highly qualified in the law, indeed, to be experienced barristers. This distinguished them from the local lay justices who after the setting up of Police Offices were largely confined, in the Metropolitan area, to the licensing of innkeepers. In addition each office could appoint up to six constables to be attached to it.
The commonly used term of 'Police Court' was found to be misleading. The word 'police' gave the impression that the Metropolitan Police controlled and administered the courts. This was never the case, the word 'police' was being used in its original meaning of 'pertaining to civil administration', 'regulating', etc.
In April 1965 (following the Administration of Justice Act 1964) the London Police Courts with their stipendiary magistrates were integrated with the lay magistrates to form the modern Inner London Magistrates' Courts.
The police courts dealt with a wide range of business coming under the general heading of 'summary jurisdiction', i.e. trial without a jury. The cases heard were largely criminal and of the less serious kind. Over the years statutes created many offences that the courts could deal with in addition to Common Law offences. Examples include: drunk and disorderly conduct, assault, theft, begging, possessing stolen goods, cruelty to animals, desertion from the armed forces, betting, soliciting, loitering with intent, obstructing highways, and motoring offences. Non-criminal matters included small debts concerning income tax and local rates, landlord and tenant matters, matrimonial problems and bastardy.
Offences beyond the powers of the Court would normally be passed to the Sessions of the Peace or Gaol Delivery Sessions in the Old Bailey (from 1835 called the Central Criminal Court). From the late 19th century such cases would be the subject of preliminary hearings or committal proceedings in the magistrates' courts.
Outside the London Police Court Area but within the administrative county of Middlesex lay justices continued to deal with both criminal offences and administrative matters such as the licensing of innkeepers.
The exact area covered by a Court at any particular time can be found in the Kelly's Post Office London Directories, available on microfilm at LMA. The entries are based on the original Orders-in-Council establishing police court districts. A map showing police court districts is kept in the Information Area of LMA with other reference maps. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
An Act of 1792 established seven 'Public Offices' (later Police offices and Police courts) in the central Metropolitan area. The aim was to establish fixed locations where 'fit and able magistrates' would attend at fixed times to deal with an increasing number of criminal offences.
Offices were opened in St Margaret Westminster, St James Westminster, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Shadwell and Southwark. An office in Bow Street, Covent Garden, originally the home of the local magistrate, had been operating for almost 50 years and was largely the model for the new offices.
In 1800 the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office, opened by 'private enterprise' in 1798, was incorporated into the statutory system. In 1821 an office was opened in Marylebone, apparently replacing the one in Shadwell.
Each office was assigned three Justices of the Peace. They were to receive a salary of £400 per annum. These were the first stipendiary magistrates. Later they were expected to be highly qualified in the law, indeed, to be experienced barristers. This distinguished them from the local lay justices who after the setting up of Police Offices were largely confined, in the Metropolitan area, to the licensing of innkeepers. In addition each office could appoint up to six constables to be attached to it.
The commonly used term of 'Police Court' was found to be misleading. The word 'police' gave the impression that the Metropolitan Police controlled and administered the courts. This was never the case, the word 'police' was being used in its original meaning of 'pertaining to civil administration', 'regulating', etc.
In April 1965 (following the Administration of Justice Act 1964) the London Police Courts with their stipendiary magistrates were integrated with the lay magistrates to form the modern Inner London Magistrates' Courts.
The police courts dealt with a wide range of business coming under the general heading of 'summary jurisdiction', i.e. trial without a jury. The cases heard were largely criminal and of the less serious kind. Over the years statutes created many offences that the courts could deal with in addition to Common Law offences. Examples include: drunk and disorderly conduct, assault, theft, begging, possessing stolen goods, cruelty to animals, desertion from the armed forces, betting, soliciting, loitering with intent, obstructing highways, and motoring offences. Non-criminal matters included small debts concerning income tax and local rates, landlord and tenant matters, matrimonial problems and bastardy.
Offences beyond the powers of the Court would normally be passed to the Sessions of the Peace or Gaol Delivery Sessions in the Old Bailey (from 1835 called the Central Criminal Court). From the late 19th century such cases would be the subject of preliminary hearings or committal proceedings in the magistrates' courts.
Outside the London Police Court Area but within the administrative county of Middlesex lay justices continued to deal with both criminal offences and administrative matters such as the licensing of innkeepers.
The exact area covered by a Court at any particular time can be found in the Kelly's Post Office London Directories, available on microfilm at LMA. The entries are based on the original Orders-in-Council establishing police court districts. A map showing police court districts is kept in the Information Area of LMA with other reference maps. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
West London Magistrates Court:
This court was originally opened in Kensington (1 Church Court) in approximately 1841. It was known as the Kensington Police Court and administered jointly with Wandsworth Police Court. It was moved to Brook Green Lane, Hammersmith in 1843 and became known as the Hammersmith Police Court. In 1859 it moved to the junction of Vernon Street and Southcombe Street, West Kensington. In 1889 it was administratively separated from Wandsworth and became known as the West London Police Court.
In 1996 both the old West London and Walton Street Magistrates' Courts closed and their resources amalgamated to form the West London Magistrates Court now residing in Talgarth Road.
History of magistrates courts:
An Act of 1792 established seven 'Public Offices' (later Police offices and Police courts) in the central Metropolitan area. The aim was to establish fixed locations where 'fit and able magistrates' would attend at fixed times to deal with an increasing number of criminal offences.
Offices were opened in St Margaret Westminster, St James Westminster, Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Whitechapel, Shadwell and Southwark. An office in Bow Street, Covent Garden, originally the home of the local magistrate, had been operating for almost 50 years and was largely the model for the new offices.
In 1800 the Marine Police Office or Thames Police Office, opened by 'private enterprise' in 1798, was incorporated into the statutory system. In 1821 an office was opened in Marylebone, apparently replacing the one in Shadwell.
Each office was assigned three Justices of the Peace. They were to receive a salary of £400 per annum. These were the first stipendiary magistrates. Later they were expected to be highly qualified in the law, indeed, to be experienced barristers. This distinguished them from the local lay justices who after the setting up of Police Offices were largely confined, in the Metropolitan area, to the licensing of innkeepers. In addition each office could appoint up to six constables to be attached to it.
The commonly used term of 'Police Court' was found to be misleading. The word 'police' gave the impression that the Metropolitan Police controlled and administered the courts. This was never the case, the word 'police' was being used in its original meaning of 'pertaining to civil administration', 'regulating', etc.
In April 1965 (following the Administration of Justice Act 1964) the London Police Courts with their stipendiary magistrates were integrated with the lay magistrates to form the modern Inner London Magistrates' Courts.
The police courts dealt with a wide range of business coming under the general heading of 'summary jurisdiction', i.e. trial without a jury. The cases heard were largely criminal and of the less serious kind. Over the years statutes created many offences that the courts could deal with in addition to Common Law offences. Examples include: drunk and disorderly conduct, assault, theft, begging, possessing stolen goods, cruelty to animals, desertion from the armed forces, betting, soliciting, loitering with intent, obstructing highways, and motoring offences. Non-criminal matters included small debts concerning income tax and local rates, landlord and tenant matters, matrimonial problems and bastardy.
Offences beyond the powers of the Court would normally be passed to the Sessions of the Peace or Gaol Delivery Sessions in the Old Bailey (from 1835 called the Central Criminal Court). From the late 19th century such cases would be the subject of preliminary hearings or committal proceedings in the magistrates' courts.
Outside the London Police Court Area but within the administrative county of Middlesex lay justices continued to deal with both criminal offences and administrative matters such as the licensing of innkeepers.
The exact area covered by a Court at any particular time can be found in the Kelly's Post Office London Directories, available on microfilm at LMA. The entries are based on the original Orders-in-Council establishing police court districts. A map showing police court districts is kept in the Information Area of LMA with other reference maps. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
Cleopatra's Needle was made of pink granite at the time of Thothmes (Tuthmose) III, circa 1500 BC, with later inscriptions added by Ramesses II. It was later removed to Alexandria. It was brought to London in the container ship Cleopatra, towed by the steam ships Olga and Anglia, in 1877. It was erected on the Victoria Embankment between Hungerford Bridge and Waterloo Bridge by the engineer John Dixon in 1879, with two sphinxes added to the base.
Edward Walford was born in 1823. In 1848, after attending Oxford, he was ordained as a priest. He became a teacher and began writing textbooks. His writing soon expanded to include the compilation of annuals such as Hardwicke's Shilling Peerage and Country Families of Great Britain. In 1860 he moved to Hampstead and for the next 26 years lived there while writing and compiling biographical, topographical and antiquarian works; including 4 volumes of Old and New London. He died in 1897.
Information from: Robin Woolven, 'Walford, Edward (1823-1897)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.
The court of Quarter Sessions was the place in which the Justices of the Peace exercised their judicial and administrative functions for the county, and generated a variety of records from that role (WJ/). This class includes, however, records deposited, filed (enrolled) or registered 'by statute' with the Clerk of the Peace, to be kept with the sessions records, and be available for inspection. These were records presented to the justices in a session, and certified before them, but which were not part of the normal sessions work, although sometimes it is hard to make the distinction. Indeed, statutes ordering the creation of these records often stipulated that returns or registers should be 'filed on the rolls of the Sessions of the Peace" or "be deposited with the Clerk of the Peace to be registered and kept with the records of Quarter Sessions", which means in practice that many records which were created outside the normal sessions work are found on the sessions rolls (MJ/SR, WJ/SR), in the sessions books (WJ/SB, MJ/SB) or in the sessions papers (WJ/SP, MJ/SP), as well as in their own series.
These are records reflecting the political and social concerns of the times - the development of transport and travel; the ninettenth century utility schemes for gas, water and railways; and control of law and order and social structures through measures such as the prevention of treasonable meetings and literature, secular and religious; the registration of foreigners in the capital; knowledge of those able to serve in the local militia in times of internal and external trouble and the limiting of those eligible for jury service or to vote in elections as determined by the value of the property they held.
All aspects of life were regulated from slaughterhouses and hospitals to the price of corn in markets, and building practices. The overriding fear of government from the seventeenth century to early nineteenth century was the threat perceived to be posed by non-conformists - Roman Catholic or Protestant - anyone considering public office had to show that their loyalty was greater to the state than to their faith by taking a variety of oaths or producing certificates confirming their allegiance to the established church.
The Custos Rotulorum (Keeper of the Rolls) was responsible for the care of the county records. Appointed (since the fourteenth century) in the Commission of the Peace (WJP/C), he was a leading justice, unpaid and holding the post for life; and from the seventeenth century usually also holding the office of Lord Lieutenant of the county. His Deputy was the Clerk of the Peace, who was in practice the actual keeper of the records, who drew up, registered and oversaw the storage of the records. He also acted as clerk to the many committees set up by the justices, but delegated much of his work to deputies. He too held the post for life, but was paid a salary and could claim fees, as well as being in addition a local practising lawyer in his own right. An Act of Parliament of 1545 stipulated that the Clerk should be "learned and instructed in the laws of the realm", and he was often called upon to advise the justices on points of law or its procedure. Relevant records may also be found in those of the Clerk of the Peace (WC/); Lieutenancy (L/); and other offices held by county officers (TC/).
Community Health Councils were established in England and Wales in 1974 "to represent the interests in the health service of the public in its district" (National Health Service Reorganisation Act, 1973). Often referred to as 'the patient’s voice in the NHS', each Community Health Council (CHC) served the public and patients in its local area by representing their interests to National Health Service (NHS) authorities and by monitoring the provision of health services to their communities.
CHCs were independent statutory bodies with certain legal powers. CHCs were entitled to receive information about local health services, to be consulted about changes to health service provision, and to carry out monitoring visits to NHS facilities. For this reason, CHCs were sometimes known as the 'watchdogs’ of the NHS. The co-ordinated monitoring of waiting times in Accident and Emergency departments led to ‘Casualty Watch’ which gained national press coverage. Locally, many CHCs represented patients’ views by campaigning for improved quality of care and better access to NHS services, and by responding to local issues such as proposed hospital closures.
Each CHC had around 20 voluntary members from the local area. Half were appointed the local authority, a third came from voluntary bodies and the remainder were appointed by the Secretary of State for Health. Members met every month to six weeks and meetings were usually open to the general public. Guest speakers or guest attendees were often invited, particularly when a specific topic or issue was under discussion.
All CHCs employed a small number of paid office staff and some had shop-front offices, often on the high street, where members of the public could go for advice and information about local NHS services. CHCs published leaflets and guidance on a wide variety of topics from ‘how to find a GP’ to ‘how to make a complaint’.
Within the guiding principles and statutory duties of the legislation, CHCs developed organically in response to the needs of the communities they served and for this reason considerable variation can be found in the records of different CHCs.
Southwark CHC began life as King’s Health District (Teaching) CHC, known from November 1974 onwards simply as King’s CHC. The CHC was divided into three geographical sub-groups: Northern Southwark; Southern Southwark; and Lambeth. A permanent shop-front office was established at 75 Denmark Hill in September 1976 and remained the CHC’s base until 2003.
In the NHS Reorganisation of 1982 King’s CHC was wound up and held its last meeting on 20 May 1982. The inaugural meeting of Camberwell CHC was held on 16 September 1982 with many of the same members. The records of the CHC continue seamlessly between the two organisations.
Community Health Councils were established in England and Wales in 1974 "to represent the interests in the health service of the public in its district" (National Health Service Reorganisation Act, 1973). Often referred to as 'the patient’s voice in the NHS', each Community Health Council (CHC) served the public and patients in its local area by representing their interests to National Health Service (NHS) authorities and by monitoring the provision of health services to their communities.
CHCs were independent statutory bodies with certain legal powers. CHCs were entitled to receive information about local health services, to be consulted about changes to health service provision, and to carry out monitoring visits to NHS facilities. They also had the power to refer decisions about proposed closures of NHS facilities to the Secretary of State for Health. For this reason, CHCs were sometimes known as the ‘watchdogs’ of the NHS. The co-ordinated monitoring of waiting times in Accident and Emergency departments led to ‘Casualty Watch’ which gained national press coverage. Locally, many CHCs represented patients’ views by campaigning for improved quality of care and better access to NHS services, and by responding to local issues such as proposed hospital closures.
Each CHC had around 20 voluntary members from the local area. Half were appointed the local authority, a third were elected from voluntary bodies and the remainder were appointed by the Secretary of State for Health. Members met every month to six weeks and meetings were usually open to the general public. Guest speakers or guest attendees were often invited, particularly when a specific topic or issue was under discussion.
All CHCs employed a small number of paid office staff and some had shop-front offices, often on the high street, where members of the public could go for advice and information about local NHS services. CHCs published leaflets and guidance on a wide variety of topics from ‘how to find a GP’ to ‘how to make a complaint’.
Within the guiding principles and statutory duties of the legislation, CHCs developed organically in response to the needs of the communities they served and for this reason considerable variation can be found in the records of different CHCs.
Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster Community Health Council was created in April 1995. The area had formerly been served by Parkside Community Health Council. Parkside CHC was created around the same time that Parkside District Health Authority was created in 1988 through the amalgamation of the Paddington & North Kensington and the Brent District Health Authorities. The CHCs appear to have amalgamated also, Paddington & North Kensington CHC combining with Brent CHC to create Parkside CHC. In 1990 Parkside District was enlarged through the addition of a part of the City of Westminster from the abolished Bloomsbury District. Parkside District Health Authority was abolished in 1993 and replaced by Brent & Harrow District Health Authority and Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster District Health Authority. With the abolition of the Parkside District Health Authority, Parkside CHC was wound up. In the Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster District Health Authority area it was replaced by the newly-formed Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster Community Health Council. The offices of the CHC at 45-47 Praed Street remained in use by the new CHC. In the Brent & Harrow District Health Authority area Parkside CHC was replaced by Brent CHC (see LMA/4752).
Community Health Councils in England were abolished in 2003 as part of the ‘NHS Plan (2000)’.
The Saint Thomas' Hospital Group was formed in 1948 when the National Health Service was established by the National Health Service Act 1946. Originally it included only Saint Thomas' Hospital, the Grosvenor Hospital, the General Lying-In Hospital and the Royal Waterloo Hospital. However, the Lambeth Hospital became part of the Group in 1964 when the Lambeth Group Hospital Management Committee merged with the Wandsworth Hospital Management Committee to form the South West London Group Hospital Management Committee. In addition, the South Western Hospital moved to the Saint Thomas' Group in 1968, and the Royal Eye Hospital joined in about 1973.
In 1974, the National Health Service was re-organized into Area Health Authorities, split into Districts, rather than Groups. The Saint Thomas' Hospital Group became the Saint Thomas' Health District (Teaching) of the Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Area Health Authority, and now included Saint Thomas', Grosvenor, General Lying-In Hospital, Lambeth, Royal Waterloo and South Western Hospitals. These were joined in 1975 by Tooting Bec Hospital.
There was a further re-organization of the National Health Service in 1982, when the Saint Thomas' Health District (Teaching) became the West Lambeth Health Authority, now comprising Saint Thomas', General Lying-In, South Western and Tooting Bec Hospitals, with the addition of the Saint John's Hospital for Diseases of the Skin.
The final stage of reorganization occurred in 1993, when Saint Thomas' Hospital merged with Guy's Hospital to form the Guy's and Saint Thomas' Hospital Trust after the Tomlinson report of 1992 recommended that one of them be closed.
The Grosvenor Hospital was established in 1865 as the Pimlico and Westminster Institute, a dispensary for women and children. Its president until 1885 was the Earl of Shaftesbury. In 1873 property at 29 Vincent Square, Westminster, was obtained and the dispensary became the Vincent Square Hospital for Women and Children. In 1875 the house next door was also purchased, increasing the number of beds. Medical students were not admitted but from 1879 lady missionaries were allowed to attend for clinical instruction.
The Hospital was renamed the Grosvenor Hospital for Women and Children in 1884. The aims of the hospital were established as the treatment of women with diseases peculiar to their sex, and the treatment of children as out patients who had illness that were not contagious. Formal rules for the admission of inpatients were drawn up in 1885 - patients were charged 5 shillings a week if recommended by a subscriber, otherwise the fee was 10 shillings. Patients had to pay for their own laundry. Out-patients paid between twopence and a shilling per visit and had to bring their own medicine bottles.
In 1891 a third house was added so that the total accommodation was 18 beds and 3 private wards. A new outpatients department was built in 1895, while a new in-patients ward was completed in 1897, opened by Princess Louise. The new building provided 36 beds. An additional floor was added in 1905, providing a new operating theatre, anaesthetics room and separate bedrooms for the nurses. Further extensions were added in 1936 - 1938. In 1948 when the National Health Service came into being the Hospital became part of the St Thomas's Group. Administration was carried out centrally but the name of the Hospital was retained, and it became the gynaecological wing of Saint Thomas'. It was closed in 1976.
The General Lying-In Hospital was opened in April 1767 as the Westminster New Lying-In Hospital. In 1818 this name was changed to the General Lying-In Hospital. It was founded by Dr John Leake, a lecturer in Midwifery, who in 1765 obtained the site on what is now Westminster Bridge Road and made a public appeal for funds. The hospital's aim was to provide "Relief of those Child-bearing Women who are the Wives of poor industrious Tradesmen or distressed House-keepers and who either from unavoidable misfortunes or the Expences of maintaining large Families are reduced to real Want. Also for the reception and immediate relief of indigent Soldiers' and Sailors' Wives, the former being very numerous in and about the City of Westminster" (from the address of Dr Leake at the first meeting of sponsors, August 7 1765).
The leases for the hospital site expired in 1826 and so in 1825 the Governors decided to purchase a new site for the hospital in York Road, Lambeth. The hospital moved there in September 1828. It was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1830. A program of modernisation and extension was begun in 1878, and in 1879 a training school for midwifes and monthly nurses was established. Sir Joseph Lister was appointed Consulting Surgeon in March 1879 and served in this capacity until 1911. He had also been President from 1897 to 1911. Under his leadership the hospital was the first in Britain to practise antiseptic midwifery.
Extensive rebuilding of the hospital took place between 1929 and 1933, when a new Out-Patient Department and Nurses Home were opened. At the outbreak of war in 1939 the hospital was evacuated to St Albans, not returning until 1946. The Out-Patient Department stayed at York Road throughout the war. In 1948 the hospital became part of the National Health Service in the Saint Thomas' Hospital Group. It was administered centrally but the old name was retained, and it became the maternity wing of the hospital. It was closed in 1971.
From the end of the First World War until 1922 No 35 Black Prince Road, Kennington, London, was used as a model Day Nursery. In 1922 wards were opened for the treatment of children with dietary disturbances and difficulty feeding. The hospital also included a scheme for training Nursery Nurses, and the nursery was renamed The Babies Hostel. The Hostel joined Saint Thomas' Hospital in 1924 when the lease of the building was presented to the Hospital by Mrs E. Mitchison, in memory of her son, Lieutenant Anthony Mitchison, who had died in action in the First World War. From 1924 to 1927 it was called Saint Thomas' Cornwall Babies Hostel, since it stood on land belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall. It was renamed Saint Thomas' Babies Hostel in 1927, when it became affiliated to the Association of Nursery Training Colleges.
During the war the hostel was evacuated first to Cricklade, Wiltshire, from 1939 to 1942, and then to Greys, near Guildford, Surrey from 1942 to 1946. In August 1962 a day hospital for disturbed children under five and their parents was started at the Babies Hostel for three days a week. From 1965 the hostel was devoted entirely to the work and was renamed the Psychiatric Day Hospital for Children and their Families. The records held at the London Metropolitan Archives all date from before April 1965 and are the records of the Babies Hostel.
St Thomas's Hospital has its origins in a small infirmary attached to the Augustinian Priory of St Mary the Virgin (St Mary Overie), which was destroyed by fire in 1212. During the Reformation in 1540 the hospital, along with many other religious foundations, was dispossessed of its revenues and closed. Edward VI restored St Thomas's estates and revenues. The hospital re-opened with 120 beds and three Barber Surgeons, assisted by apprentices, were appointed, possibly marking the beginning of St Thomas's Hospital Medical School. A royal charter of 1553 made the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of London perpetual Governors of King's Hospital, as it was known for a time before becoming St Thomas's Hospital.
The hospital underwent an extensive building programme between 1693 and 1709, and about 300 beds were provided. Medical education was also formalised at this time, with regulations introduced to control the entry of pupils into the hospital. Students were educated on the wards long before this time. A record of one of the apprentices of a surgeon at St Thomas's appears in 1561. By the second half of the seventeenth century surgeons at the hospital were accepting the apprentices of other surgeons for short periods of tuition within the hospital. The physicians at the hospital had some pupils, though a fewer number than the surgeons. From about the early 18th century the Hospital Apothecary also apprenticed pupils.
Until the mid nineteenth century there were three types of student attending the medical school: surgeons' apprentices and dressers, dressers who had served an apprenticeship elsewhere and were completing their training with a particular surgeon, and pupils, who were not attached to any particular surgeon. Pupils first appeared in 1723, and tended to be on the periphery of surgical procedures. Their numbers were unrestricted and they paid smaller fees than dressers. All students were able to attend the courses of lectures provided by the teaching staff at the hospitals and dissection classes. The study of anatomy was the most prestigious course offered at St Thomas's. New accommodation for dissection classes was provided in 1814, and allowed up two hundred students at a time to practice dissection. Other courses offered to students included chemistry, materia medica, physiology and midwifery.
The popularity and influence of the medical schools led to the building of new facilities at St Thomas's Hospital. New accommodation was opened in 1814, and comprised a museum, laboratory, library, dissection room and large lecture theatre. In 1842 the Hospital Governors stepped in to rationalise and improve the status of the medical school, and took over the management for the next sixteen years. A medical school fund was established and administered by the Hospital Treasurer to pay for the general running costs of the school, including the salaries of the non-teaching staff. A Medical School Committee was created to govern the school, appoint lecturers and oversee expenditure. The first Dean, Dr Henry Burton, was appointed in 1849. In 1858, management of the school was restored to the physicians and surgeons and in 1860 to the teaching staff, as the school had become self-financing.
In 1866 the extension of the railway from London Bridge to Charing Cross forced the Hospital to move to Lambeth, at the foot of Westminster Bridge. The new accommodation and new teaching staff heralded a good start for the new medical school. However, by 1892 most of the teaching staff had left and the new student intake was only forty-three. The enlargement of facilities at the school helped revive the school's reputation, and by 1900 student numbers were improving and increased rapidly.
St Thomas's Hospital and Medical School were seriously disrupted by the Second World War. Students were dispersed among other London hospitals and the pre-clinical school went to Wadham College, Cambridge. With the establishment of the National Health Service the medical school became a separate corporate body in 1948 and one of the general medical schools of the University of London. In 1949 the school accepted its first female medical student. The annual intake of students continued to increase throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In 1982 the medical schools of Guy's and St Thomas's Hospitals reunited as the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals (UMDS). In 1990 King's College London began discussions with the United Schools and a formal merger with UMDS took place on 1 August 1998. The merger created three new schools: the Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Schools of Medicine, of Dentistry and of Biomedical Sciences, and reconfigured part of the former School of Life, Basic Medical and Health Sciences as the new School of Health and Life Sciences.
On Nov. 9th, 1855 a public meeting was held in Willis's Rooms, King Street, St James to inaugurate a public subscription in gratitude for Florence Nightingale's work in the Crimean War. £44,000 was raised, a committee was set up to administer this fund, and on March 13th 1860, A. H. Clough wrote on behalf of the Nightingale Fund Council to the President, Treasurer and Governors of Saint Thomas' Hospital about the possibility of founding a training school for nurses at the hospital. This was Florence Nightingale's idea as to how the fund could best be used. She was particularly attracted to Saint Thomas' Hospital because Mrs Wardroper, the Matron, had already initiated a programme of reform in 1855. Mrs Wardroper became the first Superintendant of the Training School, remaining at the hospital until 1887 and it was largely due to her efforts that the school was such a success in the early years.
The first fifteen Probationers arrived on July 9th 1860. They were paid a salary of £10 during the one year's course, with board and lodging provided. 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. If they stayed in employment for a complete year after their training they could earn gratuities of £3 and £5. 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. From 1867 there were two classes of entry to the school: 1) Ordinary Probationers, who entered on the basis of a small salary and free board, as above and 2) Lady Probationers or Special probationers. These were trained specially for posts as Superintendents and Matrons of other institutions on completion of their training. They paid a sum of £30 for the year's tuition, and board and lodging.
One of the particular features of the Nightingale Training School was that nurses were trained not merely for Saint Thomas' Hospital, but with the clear intention that they be sent out in groups to other institutions to undertake nursing reform. The school had only been open two years when the first group went to Liverpool Royal Infirmary, and subsequent groups went as far as Canada and Australia, as well as to many British hospitals.
Another important and distinctive feature of the Nightingale system was that the Probationers were provided with board and lodging. When the new hospital opened in Lambeth in 1871, special provision was made for the Nightingale Home. In 1872, a Home Sister was appointed for the first time. She undertook part of the tuition, a Sister Tutor not being appointed until 1913. In 1937 Riddell House was opened as a new Nurses' Home, a present to Saint Thomas' Hospital and the Nightingale Training School by Lady Riddell, as a memorial to Lord Riddell.
Saint Thomas' Home is the part of Saint Thomas' Hospital which provides for private paying patients. The principle of accepting paying patients was accepted by the Governors in November 1878 after much controversy, as it was thought to be an infringement of the charter of 1551 which had constituted the Hospital as a house of the poor. However, more income was needed if the poor were to be properly served and the Hospital to be made financially secure.
Two wards named 'Adelaide' and 'Alice' were opened as Saint Thomas' Home in March 1881. The charges were 8 shillings a day in a general ward and 12 shillings a day in a private room. The Home proved a success, especially with patients who did not have homes of their own at which they could be nursed - for example, clerks living in lodgings, visitors in London, or colonists returned to England for medical care.
On the completion of Gassiot House in 1906 the Home moved into the bottom two floors. It was closed to patients on the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, and the space was used to house members of the administrative and medical staff. It reopened in 1950 in Gassiot House, and in 1966 moved to Simon Ward in the East Wing of the new hospital buildings.
The Gordon Hospital has undergone a series of name changes since its opening in June 1884. Originally named the Western Hospital for Fistula, Piles and Other Diseases of the Rectum in 1884, it changed its name to the Gordon Hospital for Fistula, Piles and Other Diseases of the Rectum in 1886, Gordon Hospital for Rectal Diseases in 1911, and the Gordon Hospital for Diseases of the Rectum and Colon in 1939. It finally became the Gordon Hospital in 1941.
The hospital opened in a house in Vauxhall Bridge Road but moved to a purpose-built site, in the same road, in 1899. It was rebuilt in 1947.
In 1948 the hospital merged with the Westminster Hospital as a result of the changes instituted by the new National Health Service. It was subsequently part of the South West Metropolitan Region. In 1974 the Westminster group formed part of the North West Thames Regional Health Authority and the South (Teaching) Health District. In 1982 it became part of the Riverside District Health Authority.
On 1st April 1999 the Gordon Hospital became part of Brent, Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, formed from North West London Mental Health NHS Trust, half of Riverside Mental Health NHS Trust and the mental health component of Parkside Health NHS Trust.
The scheme for funding a convalescent home was first made public by an anonymous letter to The Times in January 1890. The writer wished to remain unnamed but a journalist revealed his identity as Peter Reid, a prominent member of the stock exchange. He donated the initial sum of one hundred thousand pounds and a friend provided an additional fifty thousand pounds. Mr Ebenezer Homan provided a spacious chapel. There were several convalescent homes near Swanley at the time so it was thought it would be a good location for a new one. An estate known as Parkwood with about 70 acres of garden woodland and fields was purchased and the home was built.
The home was opened on 9 June 1893 providing 80 beds for men and 40 beds for women. Built and owned by Peter Reid it was intended to take patients from several London hospitals in the early stages of convalescence. This was considered an urgent need as at that time most homes only took people in the later stages. There was no formal opening ceremony but on 9 June the home was inspected by a large number of guests. The visitors attended a dedication service, for which a choir was provided from St. Paul's Cathedral.
In the early days Parkwood had a strong affiliation with St. Bartholomew's Hospital and the two other trustees besides Peter Reid were a senior surgeon and Clerk to the Governors of that hospital. However, beds at the home were allocated to a number of different hospitals: 30 to the London, 20 each to Guy's, St. Thomas' and the Middlesex and 15 each to Westminster and St. Mary's.
In 1914 the home was closed due to wartime lack of staff but it was forced to reopen in 1917. There was a great explosion in Silvertown and 400 children from the East End of London were temporarily re-housed at Parkwood. A short while after this the home became a military hospital annexed to Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, which lasted until the end of the war.
Peter Reid had remained Chairman of the trustees of Parkwood until his death in 1917. He was succeeded by Sir Arthur Lucas (died 1922) and then Sir John Murray.
In 1921 Parkwood began its long association with Westminster Hospital. Charles M. Power, house governor and secretary to the Westminster Hospital was also secretary of Parkwood 1921-54.
Parkwood became a military hospital during the Second World War, despite the fact that it was in the direct line of enemy attack. It remained open and treated a number of patients that had been injured during the bombing of London. The nursing staff were provided by the British Red Cross Society, and the Commandant, Miss K. Pawley, continued her association with Parkwood after the war by managing the library and serving on the House Committee.
Parkwood was very little affected by the Health Service Act and the introduction of the NHS in 1948 as it was already part of the Westminster Hospital and no change of administration was imposed. The Board of Governors of the Westminster pursued a policy of making maximum use of Parkwood and it became an auxiliary hospital dealing with more serious cases rather than convalescents.
By the late 1950s Parkwood had 110 beds but was suffering from a shortage of nurses so they were not all used. By 1957 all the beds were for women, and were available first to the Westminster Group (Westminster Hospital, Gordon Hospital, All Saint's Hospital) and then to other hospitals in the South West and South East Metropolitan Regions. Parkwood was finally closed in 1964 and two years later the premises were taken over by the London Fire Brigade.
Mr Henry Chester of Putney who died in 1900 left about eighty thousand pounds in his will to endow a hospital if a general hospital was built in the parish of Putney within 20 years of his death. If no such hospital was built, the money was to go to Guy's. He appointed the Haberdashers' Company as trustees of his will with the responsibility of approving any site proposed for a hospital.
The doctors of Putney and the Putney Municipal Alliance were in favour of building a hospital in Putney and a committee was formed. A freehold site on Lower Common formerly occupied by two houses, The Elms and West Lodge, was purchased by Sir William Lancaster and was subsequently given by him to the Hospital Trustees. In 1905 a public meeting of the inhabitants of Putney elected a Building Committee to raise twenty thousand pounds to erect and equip the first block of the hospital which would provide 20 beds for inpatients.
In January 1906 a joint meeting of the Richmond, Chelsea and Wandsworth Divisions of the British Medical Association decided to oppose the building of a large general hospital in Putney. The South West London Medical Hospital Committee was established to negotiate with the Putney Hospital Committee on the basis that a small general hospital on cottage hospital lines would meet the needs of Putney, there should be no treatment of out-patients, the number of non-paying beds should not be greater than the needs of the district or the resources of the endowment, and there should be directly elected representatives of the medical profession on the hospital's committee. Until agreement was reached, no medical man should have anything to do with the hospital.
Protracted and heated negotiations followed, with the two medical members of the Putney Hospital Committee, Dr John Guy and Mr E.F. White, defending the need for a hospital, protesting the initial support of the doctors of Putney as opposed to the wider area as represented by the British Medical Association, and affirming that there was no intention to establish a large general hospital or to treat out-patients. Eventually agreement was reached which allowed for a quarter of the Board of management of Putney Hospital to consist of medical men elected by and from the medical practitioners residing in and practising in Putney. However, a judgement by Mr Justice Joyce insisted that Putney hospital had to establish an out-patients department if it was to be a general hospital. The hospital finally admitted its first inpatients and out-patients in 1912.
Between 1926 and 1939 the hospital was enlarged with new wings to the north and south of the original building containing male and female wards, rooms for paying patients, a new out-patients department and a new operating theatre. A nurses' home was built in 1934 and extended a few years later. Further extensions and improvements were prevented by the outbreak of war. On 14 August 1944 the nurses' home was struck by a flying bomb. Fortunately no-one was injured, but the whole of the 2nd floor of the new wing and part of the 2nd floor of the original building had to be demolished, and a temporary roof erected.
In 1948 Putney Hospital became part of the National Health Service as one of the Battersea and Putney Group of Hospitals of the South West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board. Visitors from King Edward's Hospital Fund for London reported in 1953 that Putney Hospital had 106 beds, including 14 private beds which were constantly full, and 7 amenity beds, which were less in demand. They commented on the beds in the wards being very close together, "The last extension to this hospital was made in 1933. Since then the population round had grown enormously and is still growing fast." There was an immediate need for extending the out-patients department "which must be one of the smallest in any general hospital". By 1956 a scheme was in hand to extend Putney hospital to provide a new out-patients department and increase the number of beds to 178. Despite the problems of overcrowding King's Fund Visitors in that year described Putney as a first class hospital.
Between 1959 and 1961 existing buildings were upgraded and the hospital was extended with two new wards, Mackenzie Morris Ward and Sydney Turner Ward, opening in 1961 and 1962. A new casualty department opened in 1960 and a new out-patients department was opened in November 1961. Stage II of the development of Putney Hospital had been planned, but it was first deferred then abandoned. A new hospital plan envisaged the closure of Putney Hospital by 1971 as well as Battersea General Hospital, and the redevelopment of Saint John's Hospital in Battersea. In 1998 it was planned that Putney Hospital, part of Richmond, Twickenham and Roehampton Healthcare NHS Trust, be closed and its services transferred to Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton. By 2001 the hospital was part of South West London Community NHS Trust specialising in care of the elderly. The hospital was finally closed early in 2002.
The hospital was founded by Helen Levis, wife of Robert Mond, in July 1903. It was named the Saint Francis Hospital for Infants, after the Saint Francis Cripples' Home, whose premises the hospital took over. Later that same year, however, the name was changed to The Infants' Hospital, to avoid confusion with another institution of the same name.
In 1906 a purpose-built hospital was constructed in Vincent Square. This was financed by Sir Robert Mond as a memorial to his wife, the hospital's founder. The new hospital was opened in November 1907.
In 1923 the hospital was incorporated, and in September 1946 it was amalgamated with the Westminster hospital. In honour of this new connection the hospital's name was changed to the Westminster Children's Hospital.
From the start of the National Health Service in 1948 the hospital, as a member of the Westminster Hospital group, was part of the South West Metropolitan Region. In 1974 it formed part of the North West Thames Regional Health Authority and the South (Teaching) Health District. In 1982 it became part of the Riverside District Health Authority. The hospital was closed and it services moved to the new Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in May 1993.
The hospital later known as the Miller General Hospital was founded in 1783 as the Kent Dispensary, and housed initially in a house in the Broadway, Deptford. In 1837, at an Anniversary Dinner presided over by the Duke of Wellington, it was announced that Queen Victoria had agreed to become the patroness of the dispensary, and the name was accordingly changed to the Royal Kent Dispensary. In 1851 the dispensary was given notice to quit the house in Deptford. A site in Greenwich Road was purchased, and the new building was completed in 1855.
In 1883 the Governors of the Charity decided that it would be fitting to celebrate the centenary of the dispensary by the addition of hospital accommodation, which was badly needed in the area. This scheme was amalgamated with that of the Miller Memorial Committee, who had combined on the death of the Rev. Canon Miller, founder of Hospital Sunday, to institute a fitting memorial to him. He had, at the time of his death, been Vicar of Greenwich, and had worked hard in support of the dispensary. The foundation stone was laid in August 1883, and accounts of the occasion published in 'The Times' and 'The Kentish Mercury' can be read in H05/M/Y/02/1, page 171 ff., and in the Minute Book H05/M/A/01/3. The ceremony was followed by a dinner at which a collection was taken which was to form the basis of an endowment fund for the hospital.
The new hospital, built in the grounds of the dispensary, and known as the Miller Memorial Hospital, was opened in 1884. It was the first hospital in Great Britain to have circular wards. These were supposed, among other things, to allow for better ventilation, there being no corners for harbouring stale air and germs. Their cause was championed by Professor John Marshall, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, who had studied the phenomenon abroad. In 1908 the hospital became known as the Miller General Hospital for South East London. In 1912 a surgical block was started, in 1929 the Robinson wing was founded and in the 1930's the outpatient department. In 1928 there were 151 beds, 167 in 1935, 172 in 1937 and 180 in 1947. After 1948 the hospital was taken over by the National Health Service. It was closed at the end of 1974.
Harrisons and Crosfield Securities Limited, an investment holding company, was registered in 1958. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112). It held shares in many of Harrisons and Crosfield Limited's companies, including Chandler, Hargreaves, Whittall and Company Limited (CLC/B/112-032), Harrisons and Crosfield (Hong Kong) Limited (CLC/B/112-070), Technical Advisory and Services Company Limited (CLC/B/112-154), and Irwin Harrisons and Whitney Incorporated (CLC/B/112-089). In 1967 it acquired control of Durham Chemical Group Limited (CLC/B/112-046). The Company is last mentioned as a subsidiary in the annual report and accounts of Harrisons and Crosfield Limited in 1989.
Harrisons Malaysian Estates (Holdings) Limited was registered in 1977 as a holding company for Harrisons and Crosfield Limited. The firm never commenced business and went into voluntary liquidation in 1984/5.
Coconut Products Limited was registered in 1926 in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Harrisons Ramsay Proprietary (CLC/B/112-081) was involved in the formation of the company, and held half the shares. One of the directors was Robert Ramsay, director of Harrisons Ramsay Proprietary. Coconut Products Limited went into voluntary liquidation in 1956.
I.T.M. Syndicate Limited was registered in 1922. The company was involved in improvements in tea manufacture in Ceylon [Sri Lanka] and Southern India. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) acted as secretaries for the company. In 1929 I.T.M. Syndicate went into voluntary liquidation.
In 1926 Harrisons, Davis & Company was registered in Kobe to act as a silk buying agency for Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) and also as an exporter of silk worldwide. In 1930 it was taken over by W.W. Jarmain and re-styled Jarmain, Davis and Company. In 1972 Harrisons and Crosfield acquired a 50% interest in the company and it was restyled Jarmain, Harrisons and Crosfield Limited. The partnership was dissolved in 1986, and the name was changed back to Jarmain, Davis and Company.
Kellas Limited was registered in 1906 to acquire the Kellas estates in Perak, Malaya. In 1910 two subsidiary companies were formed: Kinta Kellas Rubber Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-096) and Klian Kellas Tin and Rubber Company Limited, which took over the the estates. In 1913 the company was acquired by Mount Yagahong Exploration and Finance Company Limited.
Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) did not act as secretaries / agents of this company, but it held 400,000 shares in Kinta Kellas Rubber Estates Limited and 200,000 shares in Klian Kellas Tin and Rubber Company Limited.
Killinghall (Rubber) Development Syndicate Limited was registered in 1909 to manage the Killinghall estate near Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) replaced Bright and Galbraith as secretaries and agents of the company in 1952. Harrisons and Crosfield (Malaya) Limited (CLC/B/112-071) acted as local agents from 1953.
Killinghall (Rubber) Development Syndicate held mining leases sub-let to Killinghall Tin Limited until 1979. In 1982 it became a PLC (public limited company). It went into voluntary liquidation in 1985.
Arthur Lampard opened an office in Calcutta for Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) in 1900, under the style Lampard, Clark and Company. The office mainly dealt in tea. From 1908 it was managed as a branch office of Harrisons and Crosfield (see CLC/B/112/MS37208-50). Some records of Lampard, Clark and Company date to 1909 or 1911, and therefore relate to the branch office of Harrisons and Crosfield Limited.
This company was registered in 1907 to take over the business of Asiatic Rubber and Produce Company Limited (registered in Ceylon in 1905, with estates in Malacca, Selangor and Perak). The London Asiatic Rubber and Produce Company acquired the Diamond Jubilee and Ayer Molek estates in Selangor and Perak. It took over Tamok Rubber Estate Limited (1920), Elphil Rubber Company Limited (1921), Batang Benar Rubber Company Limited (1922), Tangkah Rubber Estates Limited (1923), Sepang Selangor Rubber Estates Limited (1931), Oriental Rubber Company Limited (1960) and Lanadron Rubber Estates Limited (1960). It consolidated Harrisons and Crosfield Limited's (CLC/B/112) secretarial interests in Malaya.
In 1977 the company was purchased by Harrisons Malaysian Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-079). In December of that year it became resident in Malaysia, and in June 1982 it became a private company.
London Asiatic Trustee Company Limited was registered in 1929 to administer provident and other funds for the benefit of London Asiatic Rubber and Produce Company.
Cluny Rubber Estates Limited was registered in 1910 to acquire estates in Perak, Malaya, and to take over the firm of the same name registered in Singapore. In 1947 Cluny Rubber Estates Limited was acquired by Lanadron Rubber Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-105), which in turn was acquired by London Asiatic Rubber and Produce Company (CLC/B/112-103) in 1960.
Tangkah Rubber Estates Limited: This company was registered in 1909 to acquire estates in Johore, Malaya. In 1923 it was acquired by London Asiatic Rubber and Produce Company (CLC/B/112-103).
New Crescent (Holdings) Limited was registered in 1957 as an investment company holding investments mainly in plantations companies operating in West Malaysia. In 1972 Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) took over from Taylor, Noble and Company as secretaries of New Crescent (Holdings) Limited. The company was wholly owned by Sungei Bahru Rubber Estates Limited (CLC/B/112-147). See also CLC/B/112/MS37838 for circulars and other papers relating to the company.
Ratanui Rubber Limited was registered in 1934 to reconstitute Ratanui Rubber Estates Limited (registered in 1909) and to manage estates in Telok Anson, Perak, Malaya. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) replaced Bright and Galbraith as secretaries and agents of the company in 1952. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited sold its stock in the company in 1958 and ceased to act as secretaries and agents.
Robur Tea Company was registered in 1928 to take over the tea businesses of R J Alcock, James Service and Company and Robur Tea Company Limited (of which James Service and Company were proprietors). It had a head office in Melbourne, Australia, and a branch in Sydney. The company had a holding in Oriental Tea Company Limited (CLC/B/112-122).
For historical notes on the company see CLC/B/112/MS37392. See also the records of Harrisons Ramsay Proprietary (CLC/B/112/MS37842-92) which held a large interest in Robur Tea Company.
Rubber Securities Limited was registered in 1909 as a rubber plantation investment company. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) replaced Bright and Galbraith as secretaries and agents of Rubber Securities Limited in 1952. In 1953 Rubber Securities Limited was acquired by G.T.S. Syndicate Limited (CLC/B/112-052) and in 1981 it became a private company.
Sumatra Tea Estates Limited was registered in 1925 to acquire estates in the Simeloengoen district of East Sumatra. From 1937 it was wholly owned by Rubber Plantations Investment Trust. In 1953 it went into voluntary liquidation.
Sungei Bahru Rubber Estates Limited was registered in 1932 to re-constitute a firm of the same name (registered in 1909) and to acquire estates in Negri Sembilan and Malacca. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112) took over from Taylor, Noble and Company as secretaries of Sungei Bahru Rubber Estates Limited in 1972. It had a wholly owned subsidiary: New Crescent (Holdings) Limited (CLC/B/112-120). In 1982 it became a PLC and in 1984 it was acquired by Harrisons Malaysian Plantations Berhad (CLC/B/112-080).
T.R.S. Company Limited was registered in 1923 as an investment company holding shares in rubber and other plantations companies. Rubber Plantations Investment Trust had an investment in the company 1924-1928. In 1946/7 it went into voluntary liquidation.
This company was registered in September 1916 as Twining, Harrisons and Crosfield Company Limited; the name was changed in December of that year to Twining, Crosfield and Company Limited. The company took on the packed tea and tea wholesaleing business of Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112-001-016) under Hugh Theodore Crosfield at 9 Mincing Lane, London and Ceylon Wharf, Southwark. It had links with Irwin Harrisons and Whitney.
Harrisons and Crosfield Limited held preference shares in the company and appointed directors until 1952, but it did not act as agents or secretaries for the company. In 1952 Twining, Crosfield and Company became a public company. In 1961 it acquired Barber's Teas Limited and its subsidiary Samuel Harvey and Company Limited.
For historical notes concerning Harrisons and Crosfield Limited's shareholdings in the company see CLC/B/112/MS37392.
United Cocoa Development Company Limited was registered in 1955 to acquire and develop land in Malaya as a cocoa estate for commercial growing. Harrisons and Crosfield (Malaya) Limited (CLC/B/112-071) acted as managing agents for the company in Malaysia. Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112-001-016) acted as a London secretary. In 1975 United Cocoa Development Company Limited went into voluntary liquidation.
This company was registered in 1930 as a private limited company and wholly owned subsidiary of Harrisons and Crosfield Limited (CLC/B/112/001-016). It took over an agreement between Wilkinson Process Rubber Company (CLC/B/112-165) and Harrisons and Crosfield Limited, where Harrisons and Crosfield Limited acted as sole concessionaires in Europe of Wilkinson Process Rubber Company's products. The company had a small factory at Camberley, Surrey.
Wilkinson Rubber Linatex Limited bought Midland Aggregates Limited (CLC/B/112-117), which owned sand and gravel deposits, in 1961. In 1968 it acquired half the equity of Crawford, Hansford and Kimber Limited, which made electronic equipment and which had a factory at Aldershot. In 1970 it purchased 20,000 shares in Lymington Machine Works Limited (of Lymington, Hampshire), which made injection moulding machines; it sold the company in 1975. From around 1989 Wilkinson Rubber Linatex Limited was known as Linatex Limited.
For historical notes see CLC/B/112/MS37392.
This firm of merchants had premises successively at 15 and 18 Lawrence Pountney Lane.