City and Liberty of Westminster

Last updated
Westminster
City of Westminster and Its Liberty
Westminster Civil Parish Map 1870.png
Area
  18312,500 acres (10 km2) [1]
Population
  1831202,850 [2]
Density
  183181/acre
History
  Abolished1900
  Succeeded by Metropolitan Borough of Westminster
Government Westminster Court of Burgesses
   HQ Westminster
Westminster1601.png
Coat of arms of Westminster from 1601
Subdivisions
  TypeWards
  Units12

The City and Liberty of Westminster was a unit of local government in the county of Middlesex, England. It was located immediately to the west of the City of London. Originally under the control of Westminster Abbey, the local authority for the area was the Westminster Court of Burgesses from 1585 to 1900. The area now forms the southern part of the City of Westminster in Greater London.

Contents

Governance

Following the dissolution of Westminster Abbey, a court of burgesses (the Westminster Court of Burgesses) was formed in 1585 to govern the Westminster area, previously under the Abbey's control. The City and Liberties of Westminster were further defined by Letters Patent in 1604, and the court of burgesses and liberty continued in existence until 1900, and the creation of the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster. [3] [4]

The court of burgesses (or court leet) was headed by the High Steward of Westminster Abbey, who was usually a prominent national politician. He appointed a high bailiff, who served for life, and performed most of the functions usually exercised by a high sheriff of a county. The city and liberty were divided into twelve wards, each with a burgess and assistant burgess, this arrangement being adopted from the system then used in the City of London. Eight wards were located in the parish of St Margaret, three in St Martin in the Fields, and one for St Clement Danes and the Strand area. [5]

The burgesses chose two head burgesses, one for the city and one for the liberty, who ranked next after the high bailiff. A high constable was appointed by the court leet, under whom was a force of constables. These were absorbed by the Metropolitan Police in 1829.

Following the dissolution of the court of burgesses in 1900, a link has been retained to the old corporation, as the Lord Mayor of Westminster is ex officio Deputy High Steward of Westminster Abbey. [6]

Westminster returned two members to parliament. Although outside the Liberty of Westminster, eligible inhabitants of the Liberty of the Savoy, which included part of the parishes of St Clement Danes and St Mary le Strand voted with Westminster. [7]

The City and Liberty of Westminster was a franchise coroner's district until 1930, when it became part of the Central district of the County of London. [8]

Constituent parishes and other areas

The City of Westminster consisted of: [9]

The Liberty of the City of Westminster consisted of:

Geography

The Penny Cyclopaedia in 1843 describes the boundaries as:

formed on the southern and chief part of the eastern side by the left bank of the river Thames. The boundary leaves the river about midway between Waterloo bridge and Hungerford market, and with a little deviation follows the course of the Strand eastward to Temple Bar, being separated from the river in this part by what is termed the liberty of the duchy of Lancaster and by the western part of the Temple. The boundary turns northward from Temple Bar up Shire Lane, and then runs in an irregular line westward, keeping to the south of Lincoln’s Inn Fields till it reaches Drury Lane: it then turns north-westward up Drury Lane to Castle Street, and again turn westward and then northward runs by Castle Street, West Street, and Crown Street, Soho, to the eastern end of Oxford Street. The northern boundary runs in a very direct line westward along Oxford Street and the north side of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, making a small detour in one place, so as to include St. George’s burying-ground, to the northern end of the Serpentine river. From this point the western boundary follows the course of the Serpentine and of a stream which runs from its south-eastern extremity, now for the most part covered over, west of Kinnerton Street (which runs at the back of Wilton Crescent), Lowndes Street, Chesham Street, Westbourn Street, and the Commercial Road, to the Thames just in front of Chelsea Hospital.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Remainder in the Liberty of the Savoy

Related Research Articles

Westminster Area of central London, England

Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.

City of Westminster City and borough in London

The City of Westminster is a city and borough in Inner London which forms a core part of Central London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. The city and borough's southern boundary is the Thames. It occupies a large area of central Greater London, including most of the West End. To the City of Westminster's east is the City of London and to its west is the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. To its north is the London Borough of Camden. Historically, Westminster was a part of the ceremonial county of Middlesex. Many London landmarks are within the borough, including Buckingham Palace, the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall, 10 Downing Street, and Trafalgar Square.

Strand, London Major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, London, England

Strand is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, Central London. It runs just over 34 mile (1,200 m) from Trafalgar Square eastwards to Temple Bar, where the road becomes Fleet Street inside the City of London, and is part of the A4, a main road running west from inner London.

Metropolitan Borough of Westminster

The Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was a metropolitan borough in the County of London, England, from 1900 to 1965.

Aldwych Human settlement in England

Aldwych is a street and the name of the area immediately surrounding it in central London, England, within the City of Westminster. The 450 metres (1,480 ft) street starts 600 metres (2,000 ft) east-northeast of Charing Cross, the conventional map centre-point of the city.

St Clement Danes Church in London, England

St Clement Danes is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. It is situated outside the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. Although the first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th century by the Danes, the current building was completed in 1682 by Sir Christopher Wren. Wren's building was gutted during the Blitz and not restored until 1958, when it was adapted to its current function as the central church of the Royal Air Force.

Precinct of the Savoy

The Precinct of the Savoy, also known as Savoy St John the Baptist, was a component of the Liberty of the Savoy in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was located between the Strand and the River Thames. Formerly extra-parochial, it was a civil parish between 1866 and 1922. It now forms part of the City of Westminster in Greater London.

Liberty of the Savoy

The Savoy was a manor and liberty sandwiched between the Liberty of Westminster, on two sides, the Inner and Middle Temple corner of City of London and a steep bank of the Tideway. It was in the county of Middlesex. It was all held by the Duchy of Lancaster, and was also known as the Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster. The duchy (monarch) has kept some reversionary interests and the Savoy Chapel outright. The manor, enjoying the status of a liberty, comprised the precinct of the Savoy, the southern half and detached south-west of the parish of St Clement Danes and about three quarters of St Mary le Strand as it only, in a tiny part, extended north of the Strand whereas those parishes straddled this ancient road.

Strand (UK Parliament constituency) Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1885–1918

Strand was a parliamentary constituency in the Strand district of the City of Westminster. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks Guild of the City of London

The Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks is one of the Guilds of the City of London. It has no livery, because "[i]n the 16th century, the Parish Clerks declined to take the Livery on the grounds that the surplice was older than the Livery and was the proper garb of members of the Company." It is not, therefore, technically a livery company although to all intents and purposes it acts as such. It is one of two such historic companies without livery, the other being the Company of Watermen and Lightermen.

Strand District (Metropolis)

Strand was a local government district within the metropolitan area of London, England, from 1855 to 1900.

St George Hanover Square

St George Hanover Square was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish accompanied the building of the St George's Hanover Square Church, constructed by the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches to meet the demands of the growing population. The parish was formed in 1724 from part of the quite early medieval parish of Saint Martin in the Fields in the consequent Liberty of Westminster, hundred of Ossulstone and county of Middlesex. It included some of the most fashionable areas of the West End of London, including Belgravia and Mayfair. Civil parish administration, known as a select vestry, was dominated by members of the British nobility until the parish adopted the Vestries Act 1831. The vestry was reformed again in 1855 by the Metropolis Management Act. In 1889 the parish became part of the County of London and the vestry was abolished in 1900, replaced by Westminster City Council. The parish continued to have nominal existence until 1922. As created, it was a parish for both church and civil purposes, but the boundaries of the ecclesiastical parish were adjusted in 1830, 1835 and 1865.

The King's Manor - formally 'The City of London's King's Manor of the Town and Borough of Southwark' - is an institution of the City of London which is not a Livery Company as it is territorially rather than trade based, being the organisation of the Juror freemen of the Court Leet. The Manor covers the area from the western-side of Borough High Street, Southwark, to the borders of Newington and Lambeth. The manor originally lay in Surrey.

St Clement Danes (parish)

St Clement Danes was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England; an ecclesiastical version remains. The parish was split between the Liberty of Westminster and the Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster. The area is colloquially split between Aldwych and Adelphi areas associated with the larger Strand area in the extreme east of the City of Westminster. It includes hotels, restaurants, the Indian and Australian High Commissions and the London School of Economics. To its west is Charing Cross station which faces Trafalgar Square.

St Mary le Strand (parish)

St Mary le Strand was an ancient parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was partly within the Liberty of the Savoy and partly within the Liberty of Westminster. It took its name from the church of St Mary and the Innocents. The church was demolished in 1548 during the construction of Somerset House and not rebuilt until 1723. The parish was de facto merged with the Precinct of the Savoy as "St Mary Savoy", but an attempt to merge the parishes de jure in the early 18th century failed. It was restored as a separate parish following the construction of the New Church in the Strand in 1723. The parish was grouped into the Strand Poor Law Union in 1836 and the Strand District in 1855. In 1889 it became part of the County of London and the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster from 1900. It was abolished as a civil parish in 1922.

St Martin-in-the-Fields (parish)

St Martin-in-the-Fields was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It took its name from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields and was within the Liberty of Westminster. It included within its boundaries the former extra-parochial areas of Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace.

Westminster St Margaret and St John

St Margaret was an ancient parish in the City and Liberty of Westminster and the county of Middlesex. It included the core of modern Westminster, including the Palace of Westminster and the area around, but not including Westminster Abbey. It was divided into St Margaret's and St John's in 1727, to coincide with the building of the Church of St John the Evangelist, constructed by the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches in Smith Square to meet the demands of the growing population, but there continued to be a single vestry for the parishes of St Margaret and St John. This was reformed in 1855 by the Metropolis Management Act, and the two parishes formed the Westminster District until 1887. St Margaret and St John became part of the County of London in 1889. The vestry was abolished in 1900, to be replaced by Westminster City Council, but St Margaret and St John continued to have a nominal existence until 1922.

Milford Lane

Milford Lane is a narrow street in the City of Westminster that runs from Strand in the north to a brief walkway section leading to Temple Place in the south. It is joined by Little Essex Street and Essex Street on its eastern side. Maltravers Street once joined the lane to Arundel Street, but ceased to exist when building work at 190 Strand was completed.

References

  1. Great Britain Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Middlesex hundreds 1831 census  population. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
  2. "Comparative account, 1831".
  3. Description of the City and Liberties of Westminster in 1819
  4. Lewis, Samuel, Topgraphical Dictionary of England, Vol. III, London, 1831
  5. Bill Merritt (2005). The social world of early modern Westminster. Manchester University Press.
  6. History of the Lord Mayoralty of Westminster Archived 2006-05-23 at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Westminster | History of Parliament Online".
  8. "AIM25 collection description". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  9. Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-901050-67-9.

Coordinates: 51°29′56″N0°07′41″W / 51.499°N 0.128°W / 51.499; -0.128