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A Methodist circuit is normally a group of churches in a local area served by a team of ministers. A minister will have pastoral charge of one or more churches, but will preach and lead worship in different local churches in the circuit, along with local preachers. The arrangements for leading worship in a circuit are drawn up in a quarterly Plan.

The Methodist Church in Britain is arranged into over 600 Circuits, which in turn are grouped into 32 Districts covering Great Britain, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Each District is supervised by a District Synod.

The Queen Victoria Seamen's Rest (QVSR) started life as the Wesleyan Seamen's Mission of the Methodist Church in 1843. The aim was to minister to the spiritual needs and promote the social and morale welfare of seafarers and their families in the vicinity of the Port of London.

Over time a need arose for a meeting place of some kind in the new sailor town that had sprung up at Poplar. Right opposite the 'seamen's entrance' of the local Board of Trade Office on the East India Dock Road in Jeremiah Street stood a small public house called The Magnet. In 1887, the license of The Magnet was withdrawn, providing the Mission an opportunity to rent the public house and it was transformed into a Seamen's Rest.

Gradually the sphere of the Mission 's operation extended from London Bridge to Tilbury and embraced the river, docks and wharfs, as well as the on-shore haunts of sailors and hospitals, so that by the end of the century it was evident that the old 'Magnet' premises were inadequate. The freehold of No 1 Jeremiah Street and its adjoining properties was purchased in 1899; the whole site was cleared and a new Seamen's Home and Institute built. The foundation stone was laid on the 17th December 1901 by the Lord Mayor of London, and King Edward VII gave his royal consent for the new Seamen's Rest to bear his mother's name, "Queen Victoria ".

The Seamen's Hospital Society 'Dreadnought' rented a portion of the building to use as a sailor's dispensary clinic providing free medical treatment on the premises. In addition free banking was available and a lawyer held an advice surgery once a week. The Association with Seamen's Homes Beyond the Seas had been inaugurated and men from the Mission were introduced to similar institutions in foreign ports. As the work of the mission prospered a resolution was made to extend the building by another storey to increase the number of beds from 25 to 60.

In order to function effectively, QVSR needed a separate hall for public worship and meetings. The Emery Hall was opened on December 5th 1907 by the Patron, HRH Princess Louise. In the First World War, 20,000 unarmed Merchant Seamen lost their lives and the Mission began an appeal to raise funds for a War Memorial Wing with room for another 100 beds. On 20th October 1932 , Prince George (later Duke of Kent) performed the opening ceremony. The extension comprised three stories of private cubicles, 66 in all, a lounge and the New Agar Hall. Each cubicle was plainly furnished with an iron bedstead, dressing table, wooden chair, rug and electric light.

On June 21st 1944 a V1 Flying-bomb fell in Jeremiah Street and the whole of the staff quarters were destroyed. Mercifully, there was no loss of life. Disaster struck again on August 3rd when another bomb displaced the temporary repairs and added further damage, but restoration was done by the seamen lodgers and it was a source of pride that the Rest never closed.

With the war over, plans for the centenary extension of another 60 bedrooms and other sundry communal rooms resumed. The new development was in two parts, one each end of the building. The North Block included an officers' lounge and billiard room together with a chapel, library and 35 bedrooms for officers. The South Block provided not only a common room and rest rooms, two cafes and new bedrooms for ratings, but also a spacious entrance hall with an imposing entrance onto the main road. This necessitated a change of postal address from Jeremiah Street to 121-131 East India Dock Road.

Over the next thirty years, the "Queen Vic" had to adjust itself in line with the re-development of the East End Dockland area and the modernisation of the shipping industry. In order to maintain financial efficiency, space was made to allow a number of retired seamen a more permanent home at QVSR whilst also providing a home for men who had nowhere else to turn. In recent times there has been an increased use of the London River, from Barking Creek to Silvertown, which has re-kindled the need to provide a service that supports the welfare of active seafarers using the Port of London .

Source: http://www.qvsr.org.uk/history.htm.

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) was founded in February 1852. It was the first specialist children's hospital, and it has grown to an internationally famous centre of excellence in child healthcare. Much has changed in medicine over that time but GOSH is committed to delivering the best and most up to date treatment now and in the future.

The hospital treats 100,000 patients a year; both at its central London site and through clinics scattered across the country. It offers the largest range of children's medical specialists under one roof, so children with some of the rarest and most complex problems can be treated. In addition to its medical care, GOSH researches childhood illness, and plays a major role in training children's doctors and nurses.

At the time GOSH was founded, children's life expectancy was pitifully low. There was widespread poverty, malnutrition and disease. Medicine was also extremely primitive, with no antibiotics, no antiseptics and no real understanding of infection. But modern medicine was beginning to emerge, with mass vaccination and the start of the public health movement, and anaesthetics began to make surgery more practical.

Founder Dr Charles West had a vision, that children were not just little copies of adults, they needed their own sort of doctors and nurses. His book "How to nurse sick children" predates Florence Nightingale's nursing manual. The hospital's motto is "The Child first and always" and GOSH has always strived to put the patient at the centre of its care. Children's hospitals are now very different from Victorian days - bright, open and cheerful, with unlimited visiting by families.

Since 1948, GOSH has been part of the NHS and proud to offer children its specialist care for free. It is part of a network of specialist children's services across the country. The pace of medical development has speeded up, even fifty years ago antibiotics and heart surgery were radical new treatments - now we correct congenital heart abnormalities within days of birth, and plan gene therapy to correct inborn diseases.

Balham Methodist Church was situated on Holly Grove, Balham High Road, Balham. It is possibly now the Upper Tooting Methodist Church.

On July 28 1944 at 9.41am Lewisham street market was hit by a V1 flying bomb that demolished 20 shops, damaged 30 more, killed 51 people and injured 313.

On the morning of Saturday 25 November 1944 at 12.25 pm a V2 rocket landed on Woolworth's store in New Cross Road at Deptford. At the time of impact the store was crowded with schoolchildren and housewives, and the casualties were therefore very high: 160 killed, 77 seriously and 122 slightly injured. In all, Deptford was to suffer nine V2s, far less than other localities, but five of these caused "major incidents" resulting in a death toll of 297 with a further 328 seriously injured; more than other London borough.

Source: Imperial War Museum (http://london.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/4/dday/pdfs/VWeaponsCampaign.pdf)

During the First World War the wives of serving personnel received a financial allowance from public or army funds in their husbands' absence.

The Wandsworth Common Conservators were incorporated by the Wandsworth Common Act, 1871 (34 and 35 Vic).

They were responsible for the management of the Common until 1887 when, by the Metropolitan Board of Works (Various Powers) Act (50 and 51 Vic.cap.CVI), "all the rights property powers functions," and so on of the Conservators were transferred to the MBW.

Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.

1837-1845: Between 1837 and 1845 Paddington was part of the Kensington Poor Law Union. It separated in 1845 to form the Paddington Poor Law Parish. In 1901 a portion of the detached part of Chelsea known as Queen's Park transferred to Paddington Parish. In 1845 work began on a new workhouse for Paddington, situated on Harrow Road beside the Grand Union Canal.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.

Poplar Poor Law Union was constituted in 1836, consisting of the parishes of Bromley, Bow and Poplar. Poplar High Street Workhouse had been built in 1735. The Union took over management of this institution and began expansion and improvement works, with a complete rebuilding taking place in the 1850s. From 1871 onwards the workhouse accepted only able-bodied men, who were put to hard labour. Men from other Unions were accepted if spare space was available, while the aged and infirm from Poplar were sent to the Stepney Union workhouse and those in need of hospital care sent to the joint Poplar and Stepney Sick Asylum. The workhouse was forced to open for all classes on inmate in 1882 due to increased demand. In 1913 the workhouse was renamed Poplar Institution.

The Poplar Union purchased the Forest Gate School from the Forest Gate School District when the latter body was dissolved in 1897. The Union used the school both for training and as an overflow workhouse. The Union also managed a farm in Dunton, Essex, which housed unemployed men and their families. The men were employed in farm labour, thought to be more productive than the usual workhouse activities of oakum picking or stone breaking. In 1906 the Union constructed a cottage homes training school in Hutton, Essex. Cottage schools were small, family-home style houses laid out like a village, which were considered better for children than a large institution.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.

Stepney Poor Law Union was formed in December 1836, consisting of the parishes of Limehouse, Mile End Old Town, Ratcliffe, Shadwell and Wapping. In 1857, Mile End Old Town left the Union to become a separate Poor Law 'Hamlet' and set up its own workhouse.

The Stepney Union was known as the Parish of Limehouse for a short period from 1921 to 1925. In 1925, the Hamlet of Mile End Old Town, the Parish of St George In The East, and the Whitechapel Union were added to the Stepney Union which was then renamed the Parish of Stepney Union in 1927.

Institutions managed by the various Unions, and finally by the Parish of Stepney Union, included Mile End Old Town Workhouse, Wapping Workhouse, Limehouse Workhouse, Ratcliffe Workhouse and Casual Wards, Saint Leonard's Street Workhouse, and the Stifford Children's Homes.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

Early Commissioners of Sewers were solely concerned with land drainage and the prevention of flooding, not with the removal of sewage in the modern sense. In 1531 an Act of Sewers was passed which set out in great detail the duties and powers of Commissioners and governed their work until the 19th century. Gradually a permanent pattern emerged in the London area of seven commissions, five north and two south of the Thames, with, after the Great Fire, a separate commission for the City of London. The London commissioners had more extensive powers than those in other parts of the country; they had control over all watercourses and ditches within two miles of the City of London as well as newly constructed drains and sewers. After 1800 the London commissioners also obtained powers to control the formation of new sewers and house drains.

Although as early as May 1598 a commission of sewers was issued "for her Mats. Mills called Chrashe Milles in the parishes of St. Botulphes without Algate London and St Marge Matfellon alias Whitechapple in the Countie of Middx" (The National Archives: Ind. 4208 Crown Office Docquet Book) no continuing commission for the Tower Hamlets area (as distinct from the Poplar area) seems to have been established until 1686 (The National Archives: Ind. 4215 Crown Office Docquet Book). The jurisdiction of the Commission covered parts of East London including Spitalfields, Mile End, Shadwell, Smithfield, Whitechapel, Wapping, Limehouse, Stepney, Poplar, Blackwall, Tower Hill, Bethnal Green, Bow, Bromley, Stratford, Hackney, Ratcliff and Clapton.

Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.

Wandsworth and Clapham Union was constituted in 1836 and consisted of the parishes of Wandsworth, Putney, Clapham, Battersea, Streatham and Tooting Graveney. In 1904 these parishes were amalgamated into one parish to be known as the Parish of Wandsworth Borough. The title of the Union was altered to Wandsworth Union. The Wandsworth Union was the largest in London, supporting a population of more than 350,000.

Saint John's Hill Workhouse (also known as the Wandsworth and Clapham Union Workhouse) was constructed in 1838. In 1886 a new, larger workhouse was constructed in Swaffield Road. This allowed the older workhouse to become a dedicated infirmary or hospital, known as Saint John's Hill Infirmary.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

Poor relief was based on the Act for the Relief of the Poor of 1601 which obliged parishes to take care of the aged and needy in their area. Parish overseers were empowered to collect a local income tax known as the poor-rate which would be put towards the relief of the poor. This evolved into the rating system, where the amount of poor-rate charged was based on the value of a person's property. Early workhouses were constructed and managed by the parish. However, this process was expensive and various schemes were devised where groups of parishes could act together and pool their resources. As early as 1647 towns were setting up 'Corporations' of parishes. An Act of 1782, promoted by Thomas Gilbert, allowed adjacent parishes to combine into Unions and provide workhouses. These were known as 'Gilbert's Unions' and were managed by a board of Guardians.

Under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the Poor Law Commission was given the power to unite parishes in England and Wales into Poor Law Unions. Each Union was to be administered by a local Board of Guardians. Relief was to be provided through the provision of a workhouse. An amendment to the 1834 Act allowed already existing 'Gilbert's Unions' or Corporations of parishes to remain in existence, although they were encouraged to convert themselves into Poor Law Unions. Although there was some reorganisation of union boundaries, particularly in London, the majority of Unions created under the 1834 Act remained in operation until 1930. In March 1930 a new Local Government Bill abolished the Poor Law Unions and the Board of Guardians. Responsibility for their institutions passed to Public Assistance Committees managed by the county councils - in the metropolis either the London County Council or the Middlesex County Council.

The Westminster Boards of Guardians were formed of several smaller Unions in the Westminster area which merged:

Saint George's Hanover Square Poor Law Union:

1789: Care and management of the poor vested in a body of Governors and Directors elected by the vestry of St George Hanover Square

1867: Superseded by a Board of Guardians for the parish

1870: Became part of Saint George's Union

Saint Margaret and Saint John Poor Law Union:

1851: Governors and Directors of the poor appointed for parishes of St Margaret and St John the Evangelist

1867: superseded by Board of Guardians for the united parishes

1870: became part of Saint George's Union

1875: Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter added to Saint George's Union

City of Westminster Poor Law Union:

1913: Saint George's Union amalgamated with the Strand and Westminster Unions to form the City of Westminster Union

Strand Poor Law Union:

1836: Union formed of the parishes of the Liberty of the Rolls, Saint Clement Danes, Saint Mary le Strand, Saint Paul Covent Garden and the Precinct of the Savoy

1837: Parish of Saint Anne added

1868: Parish of Saint Anne removed to form part of the Westminster Union, and the parish of Saint Martin in the Fields added

1913: Strand Union amalgamated with Westminster Union and Saint George's Union

Westminster Poor Law Union

1727: poor of parish of Saint James in the care of the Vestry Parochial Committee

1762: Governors and Directors of the Poor appointed

1868: amalgamated with parish of St Anne to form Westminster Union. NB Vestry of St James continued to elect Governors and Directors until 1889 when they were abolished

1913: Westminster Union amalagamated with Strand and St George's Union to form City of Westminster Poor Law Union

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

The 1834 Poor Law Act led to improvements in the arrangements made for the education of pauper children. Poor Law Unions, and parishes regulated by local acts, were persuaded to establish schools and to appoint schoolmasters. The policy of separating the children from their parents (who were generally considered to be a bad influence on their children) and sending them, if possible, to the country was continued and in 1866 several Middlesex metropolitan authorities were sending children to schools outside London. The Poor Law Amendment Act of 1844 made possible a further development in this field which was of significance for the metropolitan area. Unions and parishes were empowered to unite and to form a School District which then set up a large separate school for the education of all the indoor pauper children of the constituents of the district. These were usually industrial schools where both boys and girls were taught the basics of a useful trade which, it was hoped, would provide them with better prospects in future.

The West London School District was founded in 1868 and comprised the Fulham, Hammersmith and Paddington Poor Law Unions. The Saint George Hanover Square Union joined briefly between 1868 and 1870; while the City of Westminster Union joined in 1913. The District built a school at Ashford, near Staines. The school housed 800 children.

Source of information: Peter Higginbotham at The Workhouse website.

At the time these documents are dated (1818-1829) a "John Souter" frequently appears in The Times newspaper advertising newly published books which can be bought at his shop, 73 St Paul's Churchyard. As the John Souter in these documents was a member of the Stationers' Company it is possible that they were the same man.

An 'indenture' was a deed or agreement between two or more parties. Two or more copies were written out, usually on one piece of parchment or paper, and then cut in a jagged or curvy line, so that when brought together again at any time, the two edges exactly matched and showed that they were parts of one and the same original document. A 'right hand indenture' is therefore the copy of the document which was on the right hand side when the parchment was cut in two.

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

In 1880 Charles Riley Maynard started manufacturing sweets. Maynards was launched as a company in 1896, having expanded its manufacturing, wholesale and retail business. It is now owned by Cadbury's.

Two separate Manors, those of Clerkenwell and Canonbury which came into the Northampton family through the marriage in 1594 of William Compton, first earl of Northampton, to Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Sir John Spencer, Alderman of London.

The New River was constructed between 1609 and 1613 by Sir Hugh Myddelton to bring water from Amwell and Chadwell in Hertfordshire to the City of London. The River terminated at the Commandery Mantles in Clerkenwell where ponds and a cistern house were constructed. From New River Head the water was distributed by pipes. The New River Company was incorporated by letters patent in 1619.

By 1660 it was necessary to supplement the flow of water in the New River by extracting water from the River Lee below Hertford. In 1709 an Upper Pond was built in Claremont Square some two hundred yards further up the hill from New River Head, to provide a greater head of water.

In 1293 Edmund, Earl of Lancaster and brother of King Edward I, constructed the Savoy Palace on land formerly belonging to the Count of Savoy. The palace was rebuilt at great expense by Henry, 1st Duke of Lancaster, between 1345 and 1370; after which it was said to be the finest house in England. In 1381 the palace was attacked during the Peasant's Revolt; the rioters started a bonfire of the Duke's possessions and mistakenly threw a box of gunpowder onto the flames, thus destroying much of the Great Hall.

In 1505 Henry VII ordered the palace to be rebuilt and used as a hospital for the poor. The hospital held 100 beds and included three chapels, a large precinct and outbuildings. It was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist and a statue of him was positioned over the Strand gate. In 1570 complaints were made that Thomas Thurland, Master of the Hospital, used hospital money to maintain his relatives, rarely went to church, had sexual relations with hospital staff, and owed the hospital £2,500. The hospital never recovered from this mismanagement.

Houses in the hospital precinct were fashionable addresses for noblemen and highly ranked clergy. However, by the later 17th century these houses were occupied by businessmen, while the hospital was used for wounded servicemen, and barracks and a military prison were constructed. Some of the chapels and halls were converted for use by non-conformist religious groups such as French Protestants, Lutherans, Quakers and Calvinists. The hospital was formally dissolved in 1702.

Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).

Sir Nathan Wright (1654-1721) was a lawyer, born in Leicestershire, son of a rector. He entered the Inner Temple in 1671 and was called to the bar in 1677. He was called to the bench in 1692 and became a serjeant-at-law in the same year. He began to represent high profile clients including the crown. In 1696 he was rewarded with a knighthood and made king's serjeant. He was named lord keeper in May 1700, although he accepted with reluctance. He sat on the privy council as an advisor to William III. Party politics led to his dismissal as lord keeper in 1705. Wright's wife died in the same month and he retired to his estates. He participated in some local law until 1721 when he died.

Information from: Robert J. Frankle, 'Wright, Sir Nathan (1654-1721)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.

The London Orphan Asylum was founded in 1813 by Congregationalist minister Andrew Reed. In 1820 land was purchased in Clapton, off Lower Clapton Road, and a purpose built orphanage erected by 1825. In 1871 the orphanage was moved to Watford.

A demise is a conveyance or transfer of an estate by will, mortgage or lease. 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.

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

Haxells Hotel on the Strand was purchased by its more successful neighbour, the Strand Palace Hotel, in the 1920s, and the two buildings were merged.

An opening date is not known for the Majestic Cinema, but it is listed in the Kinematograph Yearbook 1937 edition as operating with a seating capacity of 700.

By 1940 it had been taken over by Capital and Provincial Cinemas Ltd and re-named Vogue Cinema. Capital and Provincial Cinemas Ltd were later renamed Classic Cinemas. They specialised in re-runs of classic Hollywood films. It had become the Vogue Repertory Cinema by 1945 and the seating capacity had been reduced to 451. In the mid-1950's it began screening mainly foreign films and was re-named the Vogue Continental.

It closed on 21st June 1958 as a protest by Classic Cinemas against the landlord's rent rise. The building was shuttered and remained closed for 42 years. In November 2000 work began to convert the building into a restaurant and residential use.

Source of information: Website 'Cinema Treasures' at http://cinematreasures.org/theater/14875/ (accessed Nov 2009)

The writer and diarist John Evelyn (1620-1706) came from a landed estate at Wotton in Surrey. although as a younger son he did not expect to inherit the family lands. In 1647 he married Mary Browne, sole heir of Sir Richard Browne, and through this marriage gained Sayes Court in Deptford with surrounding lands (as confirmed by a grant from Charles II). Evelyn had a stong interest in horticulture and created a famous garden at Sayes Court.

However, Evelyn's elder brother died and he did inherit the Surrey estates, moving there and letting out the house at Deptford. His most famous tenant was Peter the Great, czar of Russia, who was visiting Deptford to study shipbuilding and whose drunken revelries caused damage to the gardens. The estate remained in the Evelyn family, although the manor house was torn down in 1728 and a workhouse and the Admiralty Victualling Yard were built on the site.

Wotton and the other Evelyn estates passed down to Evelyn's great-great-grandson Sir Frederick Evelyn, 3rd baronet (1733-1812). In 1884 W J Evelyn granted some of the land to the London County Council to create a public open space.

Poor Richard's Almanack (or Almanac) was a yearly almanac published by Benjamin Franklin, under the pseudonym "Poor Richard". The publication appeared continually from 1732 to 1758. The Almanack was reprinted in Great Britain in broadside [broadsheet] format for ease of posting.

The Way to Wealth was a collection of Poor Richard's sayings on wealth and personal finance.

The document relates to the invention of an improved self acting steam water lift and injector by Edwin William Thomas, New Road, Bermondsey, and Edward Nightscales, 9 Albany Road, Old Kent Road.

Letters patent is a document which grants for a set period the sole right to make, use, or sell some process, invention, or commodity.

The report was prepared by Messrs Hartley, Pilgrim and Hayman, solicitors, of Colne, Lancashire.

Kirby and Brown was based at 17 Hanover Street, Hanover Square.

The Conservative Club was founded in 1840, situated at 74 St James's Street. The Club House was designed by George Basevi and Sidney Smirke. It was erected between 1843 and 1845. The club merged with the Bath Club in 1959.

The ships represented in this collection are the:

• 'Latona' No. 55362, registered 1874, 270 tons net, owner, J. Dickie, Glasgow; master, E.H. Tidmarsh, Liverpool; voyages, Liverpool to Chittagong, etc
  • 'Indus', No. 13884, registered 1863, 1319 tons net, owner, John Taylor, London; master, E.J. Hunt; voyages to Australia with emigrants
  • 'Buston Vale', No. 47765, 411 tons net; owner, F.G. Fry and Co., Liverpool; master G.H. Galloway.
  • 'Welsh Girl', No. 44939, registered 1866, 137 tons; owner, Stephen Morse, Watchet, Somerset; master, Alfred Nicholas, Watchet; coasting and to Antwerp.
  • 'Alfred and Mary', No. 10723, 45 tons; owner, Fleming Hewett, Gorleston, Suffolk Master, William Kittle, Gorleston; trawling in N.Sea, and later Master James Green, Gorleston.
  • 'Princess Royal', No. 17033, 42 tons; owner, John Parsons, Harwich; voyages, master, William Mixter, Harwich; voyages, Harwich-Rochester, London, Colchester Maldon, Ipswich.

In 1977 E Lambert and Son was operating as A Lambert and Company. They were based in Dalston, Hackney.

A deed of settlement for the Company was recorded in 1824. It was incorporated in 1829 by the Act of Parliament. The Company amalgamated with the (Chartered) Gas Light and Coke Company in 1876.

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.

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".

Waterloo Bridge, designed by Rennie, was built by a private company which obtained an act of Parliament for that purpose in 1809. Work began in 1811 and the original intention was to use the name 'Strand Bridge'. The project was renamed 'Waterloo Bridge' in 1816, a year before it opened in 1817.

In 1878 it was acquired by the Metropolitan Board of Works and the existing tolls were abandoned. Structural defects were soon discovered and repaired, but in the 1920's, the bridge was declared unsafe. The London County Council replaced it with a design by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott which was erected 1939-1944.

Bridge House Estates was established by Royal Charter in 1282 with responsibility for the maintenance of London Bridge, and subsequently built Blackfriars Bridge and Tower Bridge and bought Southwark Bridge and the pedestrian-only Millennium Bridge. Bridge House Estates are run by a committee of the City of London Corporation.

Bridge House was the administrative headquarters of the old London Bridge, situated near St Olave's Church. It was formed of properties bequeathed by Peter de Colechurch, the warden of the bridge from 1163, and Henry Fitz Ailwyn, the first Mayor of London in 1189.

The Bridge House Committee was originally part of the City Lands Committee, founded in 1592, but separated in 1818.

Bridge House Estates was originally funded by tolls on London Bridge as well as rents and leases of the buildings along the bridge. It soon acquired extensive property which made it financially self-sufficient. These funds are used to maintain the City bridges, while surplus monies are used to make charitable grants under the City Bridge Trust, established in 1995.

The Saint Thomas's Charity School was established by the parish of Saint Thomas the Apostle. It was founded in 1781 for the education of 30 poor boys from the parish. It was situated next to Guy's Hospital.

Saint Mary's Nunnery of Augustinian canonesses, founded in 1140, was dissolved in 1539 and the church converted to the parish church of Clerkenwell, dedicated to St James. In the 1780s the building was declared ruinous and demolished. The present church was built 1788-92 by the architect James Carr, on the site of the choir of the mediaeval nunnery.

Pentonville was laid out as a planned development on land belonging to Henry Penton. The developers provided a church, constructed from 1787, but the parish of Clerkenwell refused responsibility for it. However, when the parish trustees required funds to rebuild St James's in 1788, they purchased the new church in return for a loan to their building fund. The Pentonville church thereafter operated as a chapel of ease to the parish church.

Bagnigge House was situated off King's Cross Road, Clerkenwell. Bagnigge Wells was established as a popular spa resort in 1758 when the owner of the House, Thomas Hughes, found that water from his well was a good purgative. He opened his gardens to the public, charging 3d to taste the waters, and adding entertainments, tea rooms, flower gardens, fish ponds and benches beside the Fleet River, which flowed through the garden. Concerts and entertainments were held in the pump rooms. The Wells were a fashionable retreat until the beginning of the 19th century; by 1810 they were the resort of 'lower class tradesmen' (Lysons). The Wells were closed in 1841 and the site was built over.

Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).

The Church of the Ascension in Blackheath was founded in 1695. It became a parish church on Ascension Day, 1883. Francis H Spear, ARCA, FRSA, was a well known designer of stained glass who taught at the Royal College of Art.

The Port of London Authority was established in 1908 to take full control of the tidal river Thames and its docks.

The Authority was housed in a large stone office in Trinity Square, overlooking Tower Hill. The offices were built between 1912 and 1922 to designs by Edwin Cooper.

The records in this class are concerned with the 'Delivery of the King's Gaol of Newgate holden for the County of Middlesex in Justice Hall, Old Bailey'. This was the senior local criminal court for Middlesex and for the City of London; for Middlesex and City it played the role that the Assizes played in the rest of the country.

From the thirteenth century onwards two commissions were given to the Justices of Assize by the crown so that on their twice yearly visits to the several counties that made up their circuits, they could try people suspected of cases normally heard before the sovereign - serious crimes or felonies (from the Latin 'fellens' meaning 'bitter' i.e. a capital crime committed with a 'bitter mind'). These could include piracy, murder, manslaughter, rape, larceny, robbery, burglary, arson, some forms of assault and certain acts resembling treason.

The two commissions were the Commission of Oyer and Terminer (literally 'to hear and determine' a case); and the Commission of Gaol Delivery which empowered the justices to try, and cause the sheriff (as their technical rather than actual keeper) to bring the prisoners before the court, and (if they were acquitted) to thereby deliver (empty) the county gaol of prisoners. Middlesex and London were different from other counties in that the royal courts were already present within it, so the Assize Judges' duties were given to the Justices of the Peace instead.

Furthermore, because Middlesex 'shared' its sheriff with the City of London, the more serious suspects had to be delivered for trial from 'his' care, in 'his' prison (Newgate) to 'his' adjacent sessions house - the Old Bailey. A suspected criminal from Middlesex would therefore have his case examined by a Grand Jury and the justices under the Commission of Oyer and Terminer in the Clerkenwell Sessions House.

If it was agreed that there was a case to answer, the prisoner and his indictment would then be sent for a trial either at their own Sessions of the Peace in Middlesex, or be transferred to Newgate to await a gaol delivery session. In practice there seems not to have been any uniformity of practice in deciding which cases were heard at which sessions - either justices or prisoner would decide.

A few days before the next gaol delivery session the prisoners were taken to Newgate, through Smithfield. From at least the thirteenth century a prison existed on the same site in Newgate Street. Altered and repaired over the centuries, it was burnt down in the Great Fire, and rebuilt in 1672. It was again rebuilt between 1770-1778, and in 1780-1788 following destruction in the Gordon Riots; lasting until 1902 when, after demolition, the Central Criminal Court was built on the site (1907). A sessions house for the City of London was first erected in 1539 next to Newgate Gaol. There is uncertainty as to the origin of its name - Old Bailey, also the name of a nearby street. It may refer to the 'ballium' (outer space beyond the City wall); or have been originally the Bail Hill where the bailiff held his court. A replacement was built in 1774.

Old Bailey sessions usually met eight times a year - and were held for Middlesex, Westminster and City of London prisoners as separate groups within each session, each group generating separate groups of records. The Middlesex sittings had their own juries, and to some extent separate court personnel.

The judges of the court consisted of the Lord Mayor, one or more chief justices from the higher law courts, a Baron of the Exchequer, the City Recorder, several aldermen, and usually some senior Middlesex justices when Middlesex cases were being tried.

Gaol delivery sessions ended in 1834 with the creation of the Central Criminal Court.

All Hallows, Honey Lane, was a small parish of a little over one acre in size. The church was destroyed during the Great Fire of 1666 and not rebuilt. Instead, the parish was merged with the parishes of Saint Mary le Bow and Saint Pancras, Soper Lane (which was also destroyed during the Fire). The church of Saint Mary le Bow became the parish church of the united parish. In 1876 the parish was merged with the united parish of All Hallows Bread Street with Saint John the Evangelist, Friday Street.

Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).

The parish of All Hallows Lombard Street is first mentioned in 1053. The church was rebuilt between 1494 and 1516, including the addition of the stone porch from the priory of Saint John of Jerusalem. The church burned down during the Great Fire of 1666; and was rebuilt by Wren between 1686 and 1694.

The united parishes of Saint Benet Gracechurch and Saint Leonard Eastcheap were united to the parish of All Hallows Lombard Street in 1864. The parish of Saint Dionis Backchurch was joined to All Hallows Lombard Street and united parishes in 1876. These united parishes were joined to the united parishes of Saint Edmund the King and Martyr and Saint Nicholas Acons in 1937 to form Saint Edmund the King and Martyr and united parishes, with Saint Edmund the King and Martyr as the parish church.

In 1937 the church was closed. The site was sold and the building demolished, with the proceeds going towards the construction of All Hallows, Chertsey Road and All Saints, Queensbury. The Lombard Street tower was reconstructed as part of All Hallows, Chertsey Road.

Some information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).

The church of All Hallows London Wall was first mentioned in the early 12th century. A cell for anchorites built next to the chancel wall in 1474 was subsequently occupied by the well-known hermit, Simon the Anker. The church was rebuilt in 1613-27. It escaped damage during the Great Fire in 1666 and was rebuilt in 1765-67 by George Dance the Younger. Repairs were carried out in 1891 and again in 1960-62.

The parish of All Hallows London Wall was united with the parish of Saint Botolph Bishopsgate in 1954. Since that date it has been used as a guild church.

The church of All Hallows the Great is first mentioned in 1235. It was also known as All Hallows at the Hay, All Hallows in La Corderie, All Hallows in the Ropery and All Hallows the More. It was rebuilt in 1627-1629, but burnt in the Great Fire. Wren designed the new church which was built 1677-1683. The tower and the north aisle were demolished in 1876 to accommodate the widening of Queen Victoria Street. The tower and vestry were rebuilt on the south side, and these were the only parts that remained after its demolition in 1893, when the parish was united to Saint Michael Paternoster Royal (P69/MIC5). The sale of the site provided money for the construction of All Hallows, Gospel Oak. The tower and vestry were bombed in 1939, and in 1969 Mondial House was built on the site of the churchyard.

The church of All Hallows the Less (P69/ALH8), first mentioned in 1216, stood over the gateway to a large house. It was burnt in the Great Fire, and the parish was united to All Hallows the Great in 1670.

The earliest church building in the parish of Saint Alphage London Wall was attached to the old Roman city walls. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the nearby Augustinian priory was adapted for use as a parish church. This building was damaged by the Great Fire of 1666, and rebuilt in 1777. The parish of Saint Alphage London Wall was united to the parish of Saint Mary Aldermanbury (P69/MRY2) in 1917. The church of Saint Alphage London Wall was demolished in 1923, with the bells going to Saint Peter Acton. In 1954, the united parishes of Saint Alphage London Wall and Saint Mary Aldermanbury were united to the parish of Saint Giles Cripplegate.

The church of Saint Anne and Saint Agnes has also been known as Saint Anne, Saint Anne near Aldergate, Saint Anne in the Willows, and Saint Anne and Saint Agnes within Aldersgate. The church is on Gresham Street. It was first mentioned in records in 1137. The church was burned down and rebuilt in 1548; only to burn down again during the 1666 Great Fire of London. The parish was united with Saint John Zachary (P69/JNZ) in 1670 after the latter church had also been destroyed in the Great Fire. Saint Anne and Saint Agnes was rebuilt by Wren in 1676-1687. The church was damaged during the Second World War. In 1954 it was made a guild church.

Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).

History of the united parishes of Saint Mary at Hill, Saint Andrew Hubbard, Saint George Botolph Lane and Saint Botolph Billingsgate:

The churches of Saint Botolph and Saint Andrew Hubbard were destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. The parish of Saint Mary at Hill was united to the parish of Saint Andrew Hubbard in 1670. The parish of Saint George Botolph Lane was united to the parish of Saint Botolph Billingsgate in 1670. The united parishes of Saint George and Saint Botolph were joined with the united parishes of Saint Mary and Saint Andrew in 1901; and the church of Saint George was demolished in 1903-4.

The church of Saint Andrew Hubbard is first mentioned in records in 1202. The name Hubbard probably derives from a benefactor. The church was repaired in 1630 only to be destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was not rebuilt; and in 1670 the parish was united with Saint Mary at Hill (P69/MRY4). A plaque at 16 Eastcheap marks the site of the church.

Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).

The church of Saint Ann, Blackfriars, was established in 1538 to replace the church at the monastery of Blackfriars, which had been destroyed as part of the Dissolution. The church was burned down during the Great Fire of London in 1666 and was not rebuilt. The parish was united with Saint Andrew by the Wardrobe (P69/AND1).

Information from The London Encyclopaedia, eds. Weinreb and Hibbert (LMA Library Reference 67.2 WEI).

History of the united parish:

The parish of Saint Edmund the King and Martyr was united to the parish of Saint Nicholas Acons in 1670. The parish of Saint Benet Gracechurch was united to the parish of Saint Leonard Eastcheap in 1670. The united parishes of Saint Benet Gracechurch and Saint Leonard Eastcheap were united to the parish of All Hallows Lombard Street in 1864. The parish of Saint Dionis Backchurch was joined to All Hallows Lombard Street and united parishes in 1876. These united parishes were joined to the united parishes of Saint Edmund the King and Martyr and Saint Nicholas Acons in 1937 to form Saint Edmund the King and Martyr and united parishes.

The churches of All Hallows Lombard Street, Saint Benet Gracechurch, Saint Dionis Backchurch, Saint Edmund the King and Martyr, Saint Leonard Eastcheap and Saint Nicholas Acons were all destroyed in the Great Fire in 1666. Saint Edmund the King and Martyr was rebuilt by Wren and Robert Hooke in 1670-9 and the spire completed in 1708. Saint Dionis Backchurch was rebuilt by Wren in 1670-84, Saint Benet Gracechurch Street in 1681-87 and All Hallows Lombard Street in 1686-94. The churches of Saint Leonard Eastcheap and Saint Nicholas Acons were not rebuilt; however, the site of the former was retained as a burial ground until 1882.

The church of Saint Benet Gracechurch was demolished in 1867, the church of Saint Dionis Backchurch in 1878 and the church of All Hallows Lombard Street in 1938 and the sites sold off. The proceeds of these sales were used to fund the building of new churches namely Saint Benet Mile End Road, Saint Dionis Parsons Green, and All Hallows, Chertsey Road, Twickenham and All Saints Queensbury. The tower of All Hallows Lombard Street was reconstructed as part of All Hallows, Chertsey Road. Saint Edmund the King and Martyr remains the parish church.