St Margaret was a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

in the ancient borough of

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

, located south of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

in the Brixton Hundred of

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. It was abolished in 1541 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and replaced with the parish of St Saviour. The parish church was located on what is now Borough High Street and the area now forms part of the

London Borough of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas ...

. It was from 1444 governed by the Guild of the Assumption of St Margaret's Church.

History

The parish of St Margaret was located in the Brixton Hundred of

. It included the

Liberty of the Clink The Liberty of the Clink was an area in Southwark, on the south bank of the River Thames, opposite the City of London. Although situated in Surrey the liberty was exempt from the jurisdiction of the county's high sheriff and was under the jurisd ...

and the Liberty of Paris Garden. In 1295 the

ancient borough The ancient boroughs were a historic unit of lower-tier local government in England and Wales. The ancient boroughs covered only important towns and were established by charters granted at different times by the monarchy. Their history is large ...

of Southwark was enfranchised and initially consisted of the parish of St Margaret and the parishes of St George the Martyr, St Olave and St Mary. The parish was abolished in 1541 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries when the Priory of St Mary Overie was dissolved. Its former area was combined with that of the small parish of St Mary, which had covered the precinct of the priory, to form the new parish of St Saviour.

Governance

The parish was unusual in that from 1444 its affairs were under the control of the Guild of the Assumption of St Margaret's Church. The guild was incorporated by

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

in 1449 with parishioners able to elect 2 or 3 wardens. In 1536 the church wardens obtained authority by act of Parliament for the purposes of enlarging the churchyard. When the parish was replaced by St Saviour in 1541 the guild became the Corporation of Wardens of St Saviour's Parish, an organisation still in existence as the United St Saviour's Charity.

St Margaret's Church

The parish church on St Margaret's Hill (now known as Borough High Street) was granted to the Priory of St Mary Overie by Henry I in the 12th century. It was rebuilt in the 13th century. After being deconsecrated it was converted for use as the Borough Compter and destroyed in the Great Fire of Southwark in 1676. The church was a notable example of the practice of putting on religious plays.MacLean, Sally-Beth (1996). Festive Liturgy and the Dramatic Connection: A Study of Thames Valley Parishes. Medieval & Renaissance Drama in England, 8, 49–62.

References

{{coord, 51.504, -0.091, type:landmark_region:GB-SWK, display=title History of the London Borough of Southwark Former civil parishes in London 1541 disestablishments in England