St Martin in the Fields (parish)

St Martin in the Fields
Civil parish

Area
  1881/1921 286 acres (1.16 km2)
Population
  1881 17,508
  1901 12,980
  1921 10,666
History
  Origin Ancient parish
  Abolished 1922
  Succeeded by City of Westminster (parish)
Status Civil parish
Government

St Martin in the Fields Vestry

  HQ Vestry Hall, St Martin's Place
Contained within
  Poor Law Union Strand (1868–1913)
City of Westminster (1913–1922)

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.[1]

Adjustments

It was an ancient parish. In 1542 it gained the territory between the church of St Clement Danes and the Palace of Westminster from the parish of St Margaret.[2]

It originally included the following, which were carved out as new parishes:[3]

Poor law

It was a single parish for poor law following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 until 1868 when it became part of the Strand Poor Law Union.

Reform

In 1855 the parish vestry became a local authority within the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works.

Under the Metropolis Management Act 1855 any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such the incorporated vestry of St Martin in the Fields was divided into three wards (electing vestrymen): No. 1 (12), No. 2 (12) and No. 3 (12).[4][5]

In 1896 as its population had increased the incorporated vestry was re-divided into three new wards (electing vestrymen): Park (15), Long Acre (12) and Embankment (9).[6]

In 1889 the parish became part of the County of London and in 1900 it became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster. The St Martin in the Fields Vestry was replaced by Westminster City Council and the vestry hall became Westminster City Hall.

The civil parish was abolished in 1922.

References

  1. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=41023
  2. Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
  3. The London Gazette Issue: 21802. 20 October 1855. pp. 3896–3898. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  4. "H.M.S.O. Boundary Commission Report 1885 Westminster Map". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  5. The London Gazette Issue: 26709. 14 February 1896. pp. 860–861. Retrieved 8 April 2015.

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