Hammersmith was a
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
and
metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropolitan ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England. It was formed as a civil parish in 1834 from the chapelry of Hammersmith that had existed in the
ancient parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...
of
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
, Middlesex since 1631. The parish was grouped with Fulham as the
Fulham District from 1855 until 1886, when separate parish administration was restored. In 1889 it became part of the
County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...
and in 1900 it became a metropolitan borough. It included
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
,
Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs (or simply Scrubs), is an open space in Old Oak Common located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the borough, ...
,
Old Oak Common
Old Oak Common is an area of Hammersmith, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London.
Together with neighbouring Park Royal, the area is intended to become the UK's largest regeneration scheme, the scale of which has led to ...
and
Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Although primarily residential in character, i ...
. In 1965 it was abolished and became the northern part of the London Borough of Hammersmith, since 1979 renamed the
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham () is a London borough in West London and which also forms part of Inner London. The borough was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham. The borou ...
.
History
Hammersmith was part of the ancient parish of Fulham, Middlesex which occupied broadly the same area as the current
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham () is a London borough in West London and which also forms part of Inner London. The borough was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former Metropolitan Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham. The borou ...
in Greater London.
A
chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently.
Often a chapel of ea ...
was built for Hammersmith in 1631 and the chapelry developed its own independent vestry. This was recognised in 1834 when the parish of Hammersmith was split from the parish of Fulham. In 1855 the two parishes were combined for civil purposes as the
Fulham District, governed by the Fulham District Board of Works. This coincided with the parish becoming part of the area of responsibility of the
Metropolitan Board of Works
The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the principal instrument of local government in a wide area of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, defined by the Metropolis Management Act 1855, from December 1855 until the establishment of the London County ...
.
In 1886 the district was dissolved and the parish was governed by the Hammersmith Vestry. It was transferred from the
County of Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbourin ...
to the
County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...
in 1889. The parish became a
metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts within metropolitan ...
in 1900 and the Hammersmith Vestry became Hammersmith Borough Council.
In 1965 it was merged with the
Metropolitan Borough of Fulham
The Metropolitan Borough of Fulham was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it was merged with the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith to form the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was a riverside ...
to form the
London Borough of Hammersmith
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...
and was renamed Hammersmith and Fulham in 1979. The new London borough council retained Hammersmith's motto of
Spectemur Agendo Spectemur Agendo is a Latin motto meaning ''Let us be judged by our acts''.
Sources
It comes originally from Book XIII of Ovid's Metamorphoses (poem), Metamorphoses where it is attributed to the hero Ajax the Great, Ajax:
''Denique (quid verbis opu ...
, although it was spelled out in English ("Let us be judged by our acts") in the
new coat of arms for the first few years.
Coat of arms
![Deputy Mayoress medal](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Deputy_Mayoress_medal.jpg)
The coat of arms of the Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith was granted in 1897. It was ''Per pale azure and gules on a chevron or between in chief two cross crosslets and in base a scallop argent, three horseshoes of the second.'' The cross crosslets come from the arms of
Edward Latymer
Edward Latymer (1557–1627) was a wealthy merchant and official in London. His will established both Latymer Upper School and The Latymer School and is associated with Godolphin and Latymer School.
Life
Edward was the older son of William L ...
, who founded schools in Hammersmith in the seventeenth century which later evolved into
Latymer Upper School
(Slowly Therefore Surely)
, established =
, closed =
, sister_school = Godolphin and Latymer School
, type = Public schoolIndependent day school
, head_label = H ...
and the
Godolphin and Latymer School
The Godolphin and Latymer School is an independent day school for girls in Hammersmith, West London.
The school motto is an ancient Cornish phrase, ''Francha Leale Toge'', which translates as "free and loyal art thou". The school crest inclu ...
(both feature cross crosslets in their coats of arms). The horseshoes come from the arms of brickmaker
Nicholas Crisp
Sir Nicholas Crispe, 1st Baronet (c. 1599 – 26 February 1666 ( O.S)) was an English Royalist and a wealthy merchant who pioneered the West African trade in the 1630s; a customs farmer (1640 and c. 1661-6); Member of Parliament for Winchelsea Nov ...
, who introduced his technique into Hammersmith and who helped build a chapel, which was to become Hammersmith's parish church of Saint Paul; and the scallop comes from the arms of George Pring, a surgeon who projected
Hammersmith Bridge
Hammersmith Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the River Thames in west London. It links the southern part of Hammersmith in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, on the north side of the river, and Barnes in the London Borough ...
. The crest was a castle tower surmounted by two hammers, a pun on the name Hammersmith.
Poor law
With the introduction of the
New Poor Law
The ''Poor Law Amendment Act 1834'' (PLAA) known widely as the New Poor Law, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Earl Grey. It completely replaced earlier legislation based on the ''Poor Relief ...
the parish became part of the Kensington Poor Law Union in 1837. From 1845, it was grouped with Fulham as the Fulham Poor Law Union. In 1889 Hammersmith became a single parish for poor law purposes and this lasted until the boards of guardians were abolished in 1930.
Population and area
The borough covered . It included
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
,
Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs, known locally as The Scrubs (or simply Scrubs), is an open space in Old Oak Common located in the north-eastern corner of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London. It is the largest open space in the borough, ...
,
Old Oak Common
Old Oak Common is an area of Hammersmith, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London.
Together with neighbouring Park Royal, the area is intended to become the UK's largest regeneration scheme, the scale of which has led to ...
and
Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush is a district of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Although primarily residential in character, i ...
.
The population in each census was:
Hammersmith Vestry 1801–1899
Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961
Politics
![Hammersmith Met](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Hammersmith_Met._B_Ward_Map_1916.svg)
Under the
Metropolis Management Act 1855
The Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c.120) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the Metropolitan Board of Works, a London-wide body to co-ordinate the construction of the city's infrastructure. The Act al ...
any parish that exceeded 2,000
ratepayers
Rates are a type of property tax system in the United Kingdom, and in places with systems deriving from the British one, the proceeds of which are used to fund local government. Some other countries have taxes with a more or less comparable role ...
was to be divided into wards; however the parishes of Fulham District Board of Works did not exceed this number so were not divided into wards.
In 1873 the population had increased enough for the parish of Hammersmith to be divided into three wards (electing
vestrymen
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
): North (24), Centre (27) and South (21).
In 1894 as its population had increased the newly incorporated vestry was re-divided into six wards (electing
vestrymen
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
): No. 1 (12), No. 2 (18), No. 3 (15), No. 4 (15), No. 5 (6) and No. 6 (6).
The metropolitan borough was divided into seven
wards
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...
for elections: No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7.
[Ordnance Survey 'County Series 3rd Edition' Map of London (1912-14) at 1:2500 scale. Accessed at https://www.old-maps.co.uk/]
Borough council
Parliament constituency
For elections to
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, the borough was represented by one constituency:
*
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
In 1918 the borough's representation was increased to two seats:
*
Hammersmith North Hammersmith North could refer to:
*Hammersmith North (UK Parliament constituency)
* Hammersmith North (electoral division), Greater London Council
*Hammersmith North (London County Council constituency)
Hammersmith North was a constituency used ...
*
Hammersmith South
In 1955 the borough's representation was reduced to one and a half seats, when part of it was merged with
Fulham
Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
:
*
Barons Court
Barons Court is a London Underground station in West Kensington in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Greater London. This station serves the District line and the Piccadilly line. Barons Court is between West Kensington and Hamme ...
*
Hammersmith North Hammersmith North could refer to:
*Hammersmith North (UK Parliament constituency)
* Hammersmith North (electoral division), Greater London Council
*Hammersmith North (London County Council constituency)
Hammersmith North was a constituency used ...
References
Further reading
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammersmith, Metropolitan Borough of
Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London
History of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
1834 establishments in the United Kingdom
1900 establishments in the United Kingdom
1965 disestablishments in the United Kingdom
Districts abolished by the London Government Act 1963
Metropolitan Borough of