St Mary le Strand was an ancient parish in the county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, England. It was partly within the

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 ...

and partly within the

Liberty of Westminster 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 ...

. 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 Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

, and not rebuilt until 1723. The parish was

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

merged with the

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 county of Middlesex, England, located between the Strand and the River Thames. Formerly extra-parochial, it was a civil parish ...

as "St Mary Savoy", but an attempt to merge the parishes

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...

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 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 from 1900 also part of the

Metropolitan Borough of Westminster The Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was a metropolitan borough in the County of London, England, from 1900 to 1965. City status By royal charter dated 29 October 1900, the borough was granted the title City of Westminster. Westminster had o ...

. It was abolished as 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 ...

in 1922.

History

The ancient parish church of St Mary and the Innocents was demolished in 1548 when

was constructed. Edward Seymour, recently created

Duke of Somerset Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

, promised to provide a replacement, but none was ever built. The parish was not counted separately from 1549 to 1723. Parishioners initially used the church of

St Clement Danes 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 ...

and then from 1558 the

Savoy Chapel The King's Chapel of St John the Baptist in the Precinct of the Savoy, also known as the King's Chapel of the Savoy, is a church in the City of Westminster, London. Facing it are 111 Strand, the Savoy Hotel, the Institution of Engineering and Te ...

.The Church chronicle, a monthly record of Church life and Church work, (1869) The parish was

merged with the

, becoming known as "St Mary Savoy". In 1606 "St Mary Savoy" was added to the returns of the Bills of mortality. In 1702 the

Savoy Hospital The Savoy Palace, considered the grandest nobleman's townhouse of medieval London, was the residence of prince John of Gaunt until it was destroyed during rioting in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. The palace was on the site of an estate given to ...

was closed and in 1703

Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset and 1st Earl of Middlesex, KG (24 January 164329 January 1706) was an English poet and courtier. Early life Sackville was born on 24 January 1643, son of Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset (1622–1677) ...

, attempted in parliament, as part of the Savoy Hospital Bill, to combine the parishes

."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." 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. From 1700 to 1727 "St Mary Savoy in the Strand" appears in the bills of mortality.Collection of Yearly Bills of Mortality, from 1657 to 1758 Inclusive, A. Miller, (1759) In 1723 a replacement New Church in the Strand was built by the

Commission for Building Fifty New Churches The Commission for Building Fifty New Churches (in London and the surroundings) was an organisation set up by Act of Parliament in England in 1711, the New Churches in London and Westminster Act 1710, with the purpose of building fifty new church ...

. 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.

Governance

In 1836 the parish 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. It was grouped into the Strand District in 1855 when it came within 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 1889 the parish became part of the

and in 1900 it became part of the

. It was abolished as a civil parish in 1922.

Geography

It had a southern boundary with 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 ...

. 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:

Notes

References

{{coord, 51.512171, -0.116904, region:GB, display=title History of the City of Westminster History of local government in London (pre-1855) Parishes united into districts (Metropolis) Former civil parishes in London Bills of mortality parishes