St Mary le Strand (parish)

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St Mary le Strand
Westminster Civil Parish Map 1870.png
Area
  188115 acres (0.061 km2)
  1901/192114 acres (0.057 km2)
Population
  18811,989
  1901494
  192185
History
  Abolished1922
  Succeeded by City of Westminster (parish)
Status Civil parish
Contained within
  District Strand (1855–1900)
  Poor Law Union Strand (1836–1913)
City of Westminster (1913–1922)

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.

Contents

History

The ancient parish church of St Mary and the Innocents was demolished in 1548 when Somerset House was constructed. Edward Seymour promised to provide a replacement, but it was never built. The parish was not counted separately from 1549 to 1723. [1] Parishioners initially used the church of St Clement Danes [2] and then the Savoy Chapel from 1558. [3] The parish was de facto merged with the Precinct of the Savoy, becoming known as "St Mary Savoy". [4] In 1606 "St Mary Savoy" was added to the returns of the Bills of mortality.

In 1702 the Savoy Hospital was closed and an attempt was made in parliament in 1703 as part of the Savoy Hospital Bill to combine the parishes de jure. [notes 1] This was opposed and never carried out. The parishioners of St Mary le Strand were made to renounce their claim before they were permitted to use the Savoy Chapel again. [3] From 1700 to 1727 "St Mary Savoy in the Strand" appears in the bills of mortality. [5] In 1723 a replacement New Church in the Strand was built by the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches. In the annual bills returns from 1726 there is an entry for St Mary le Strand and the Precinct of the Savoy appears separately from 1728. [5]

Governance

In 1836 it was grouped into the Strand Poor Law Union with two guardians elected for the Westminster part and one guardian elected for the Duchy of Lancaster part. [6] It was grouped into the Strand District in 1855 when it came within the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works. In 1889 the parish became part of the County of London and in 1900 it became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster. It was abolished as a civil parish in 1922.

Geography

It had a southern boundary with the River Thames. [7] The part within the Liberty of Westminster was north of the Strand and the part within the Liberty of the Savoy was primarily to the south of the Strand.

Population

The population of St Mary le Strand at the decennial census was: [8]

Year180118111821183118411851187118811891190119111921
Population1,7041,5781,7842,0522,5202,5172,0071,9891,5494947485

Notes

  1. "Petition of Charles, E. Dorset and Middlesex, and of certain of his tenants, on behalf of themselves and the rest of the Earl's tenants in the parish of St. Mary-le-Strand, co. Middlesex. In the Bill for enabling her Majesty to settle the lands and revenues of the late dissolved hospital of the Savoy to such charitable and public uses as are therein mentioned, there are several clauses relating to the uniting the said parish to the precinct of the Savoy, by which Petitioners will be much prejudiced. Pray to be heard against these clauses."

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St Clement Danes (parish)

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The Cleveland Street Workhouse is a Georgian property in Cleveland Street, Marylebone, built between 1775 and 1778 for the care of the sick and poor of the parish of St Paul Covent Garden under the Old Poor Law. From 1836, it became the workhouse of the Strand Union of parishes. The building remained in operation until 2005 after witnessing the complex evolution of the healthcare system in England. After functioning as a workhouse, the building became a workhouse infirmary before being acquired by the Middlesex Hospital and finally falling under the NHS. In the last century it was known as the Middlesex Hospital Annexe and the Outpatient Department. It closed to the public in 2005 and it has since been vacated. On 14 March 2011 the entire building became Grade II Listed. Development of the site began in 2019 by current owner University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Charity as a mixed-use development including residential, commercial and open space, but construction has been held up by the necessity to remove human remains stemming from the use of the area around the workhouse as a parish burial ground between 1780 and 1853. There has also been controversy about the amount of social housing to be included in the development.

References

  1. Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN   0-901050-67-9.
  2. London parishes, (1824)
  3. 1 2 The Church chronicle, a monthly record of Church life and Church work, (1869)
  4. London in the nineteenth century, (1829), Jones & Co.
  5. 1 2 Collection of Yearly Bills of Mortality, from 1657 to 1758 Inclusive, A. Miller, (1759)
  6. Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons and Command, Volume 29, Part 1, H.M. Stationery Office, (1836)
  7. Port, M. H. (Edr.) (1986). "Illustrative map of London parishes". The Commissions for building fifty new churches: The minute books, 1711-27, a calendar. London Record Society.
  8. "St Mary le Strand ExP/CP/AP/AP through time | Population Statistics | Total Population". Archived from the original on 2 February 2014.

Coordinates: 51°30′44″N0°07′01″W / 51.512171°N 0.116904°W / 51.512171; -0.116904