Clerkenwell, Middlesex Family History Guide
Table of Contents
Parishes in Clerkenwell
- Clerkenwell St James, Middlesex
- Clerkenwell St John, Middlesex
- Clerkenwell St Mark, Middlesex
- Clerkenwell St Philip, Middlesex
History
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870
CLERKENWELL, a parish and a district in Middlesex. The parish lies in the metropolis, W of Islington, NE of Lincoln’s Inn fields, 1 mile NNW of St. Pauls; and includes a detached part in Colney-Hatch-lane. Acres, 380. Real property, £347, 544. Pop., in 1841, 56, 756; in 1861, 65, 681. Houses, 7, 088.
Most of the area is densely covered with six squares and numerous streets; inhabited by some of the best paid and best informed artisans in London. A well still in existence at a pump in Ray-street, was anciently frequented by the incorporate clerks of the city; took thence the name of Clerken-well, – “clerken” being the ancient plural for “clerks;” and eventually gave its name to the parish. Other wells here also were notable; and gave their names, such as Islington-spa, White-Condit, Bagniggie-wells, New-Tunbridge-wells, and Sadler’s Wells, to famous houses built over or beside them.
The New River water-works here were completed, in 1820, by Sir Hugh Middleton, a member of the Goldsmiths’ company, for the supply of the city of London and the northern suburbs, at the rate of 25 million gallons a day; but the area formerly occupied by the reservoir is now filled up, levelled, and edificed.
Middleton-square is named after Sir Hugh Middleton; Granville-square is named after Granville Sharp; and Wilmington-square stands on the Spa fields, where Hunt’s riots occurred in 1817.
Clerkenwell sessions house, or Clerkenwell green, was built in 1778-82, by Rogers; ranks next in importance to the Old Bailey; and has a fine James I. mantle-piece, removed from the previous law court. Hicks, hall, that previous court, stood in St. John-street; and was built, in 1612, by Sir Baptist Hicks, the founder of the Noels-Clerkenwell prison or county-house of detention; is appropriated to persons committed for trial at the assizes or the sessions, and on summary convictions for minor offences; and has accommodation for 224 males and 100 females.
Coldbath-fields prison, or county-house of correction, is used chiefly for male offenders sentenced, on summary conviction, to short periods of imprisonment; and has accommodation for 1,398 males.
Other noticeable buildings are Lady Owen’s free grammar-school, founded in 1613, and rebuilt some years ago in the Tudor style; a parish school, for 1, 000 scholars, with £140 a year from endowment; Pentonville school, with £63; the Friends’ school; the Finsbury dispensary; the London female penitentiary, founded in 1807, for 100 women; the London female mission house; the work-house; and the Sadlers’-wells theatre, dating from 1683, and famous for the performances of Grimaldi.
A Benedictine nunnery was founded about the year 1100, on the ground now occupied by St. James’ church, by Sir Jordan Brisset; and given, at the dissolution, first to the Duke of Norfolk, and afterwards to Sirs Walter Henley and John Williams.
A commandery of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John was founded at St. John’s-square, about the same time, by the same person; held the paramount place over all the preceptories and other houses of the order in England; and was given, at the dissolution, to Viscount Lisle. Most of this edifice, including a fine bell-tower, was demolished in the time of Edward VI.; but a gateway of it still stood, became Cave’s printing-office, whence he issued the “Gentleman’s Magazine,” has always figured on that periodical’s cover, and was recently restored.
Aylesbury House belonged to the commandery, and was given to the Bruces. Northampton House, on the site of Northampton-square, was a seat of the Comptons. Albemarle or Newcastle House, in Newcastle-place, was the death-place of the Duchess of Montague. Cromwell is said to have lived, and Sir T. Challoner resided, in a house in St. John’s-close. Burnet had a house in St. John’s-square. Lady Huntingdon resided in a house adjoining her chapel.
Valangin, who sold the “Balsam of Life,” and afterwards W. Huntingdon, the famous S. S., lived at Hermes Hill. Swedenborg, the founder of the sect of Swedenborgians, died in Great Bath-street. Dibdin had a cottage near Sadler’s-wells. Johnson and Goldsmith frequented a house called the Baptist’s Head. Dubourg and Handel frequently played at Britton’s house in Jerusalem passage.
The Red Bull theatre, of the time of Elizabeth, was in Woodbridge-street. Hockley-in-the-Hole bear garden was in Ray-street. The incorporate Clerks performed a play before Richard II., in 1391, at the original Clerkenwell. Cobham the martyr was burnt here in 1417. Edward IV. was proclaimed king here in 1461. A new road, to welcome the entry of James I., was formed through hills around the site of Northampton-street.
The parish is ecclesiastically divided into St. James or Clerkenwell-proper, Pentonville, St. John, St. Mark, St. Philip, St. Silas, and St. Paul. St. John is a rectory, four others are vicarages, and St. Silas and St. Paul are p. curacies, in the dio. of London. Value of St. James, £350; of Pentonville, £300; of St. John, £300; of St. Mark, £535; of St. Philip, £348; of St. Silas, £250; of St. Paul, £200. Patrons of St. James, the Inhabitants; of Pentonville, the Vicar of St. James; of St. John, the Lord Chancellor; of St. Mark and St. Silas, the Bishop; of St. Philip, the Vicar of St. Mark; of St. Paul, alternately the Crown and the Bishop.
St. James’ church was built in 1788-1792. St. John’s church was one of Queen Anne’s fifty new churches; occupies the site of the Knights Hospitallers’ commandery; and has the old crypts underneath. St. Mark’s church was built in 1828, at a cost of upwards of £14, 000. A Baptist chapel was built in 1869, at a cost of £5,000.
The district is identical with the parish; and is divided into the sub-districts of St. James-Clerkenwell, Amwell, Pentonville, and Goswell-street. Acres of St. James-Clerkenwell, 74; of Amwell, 82; of Pentonville, 134; of Goswell-street, 90. Pop. of St. James-Clerken-well, 19, 152; of Amwell, 17, 250; of Pentonville, 13, 079; of Goswell-street, 16, 200. Poor-rates of the district, in 1862, £23, 173. Marriages in 1860, 511; births, 2, 272, of which 89 were illegitimate; deaths, 1, 391, of which 626 were at ages under 5 years, and 14 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 5, 595; births, 22, 396; deaths, 14, 172.
The places of worship in 1851 were 5 of the Church of England, with 5, 805 sittings; 1 of the English Presbyterian Church, with 500 s.; 3 of Independents, with 2, 374 s.; 1 of Lady Huntingdon’s Connexion, with 2, 000 attendants; 3 of Baptists, with 1,840 s.; 1 of Quakers, with 300 s.; 1 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 1, 080 s.; 1 of Southcottians, with 100 s.; 1 of Freethinking Christians, with 216 s.; 1 undefined, with 650 s.; and 1 of Roman Catholics, with 700 s. The schools were 13 public day schools, with 2, 132 scholars; 113 private day schools, with 3, 098 s.; 14 Sunday schools, with 3, 578 s.; and 1 evening school for adults, with 16 s.
Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].
Spa Fields Clerkenwell Handbook for London 1849
Spa Fields, Clerkenwell. A district covered with houses within the present century, and so called from a mineral spring of some celebrity in its day. Grimaldi, the clown, lived, in 1822, at No. 8, Exmouth-street, Spa-fields. The Spa-fields burying-ground became notorious in the year 1845, in consequence of the proprietors of the ground burning the bones and bodies of the dead, to make room for fresh interments. About 1350 bodies, it appeared, were annually interred there. Eight bodies, not unfrequently, were buried in one grave only 8 feet deep.
Source: A Handbook for London, Past and Present. Peter Cunningham. Published by John Murray 1849.
House of Correction Clerkenwell A Handbook for London 1849
“Such was the great encrease of Rogues and Vagabonds in London and Middlesex, that Bridewell could not contain them, nor imploy them, nor willingly receive any from the justices out of the County of Middlesex, because they held it contrary to the Charter of London, and the foundation of Bridewell; whereupon the Justices of Middlesex, by license from his Maiestie [sic] [James I.], builded a House of Correction for the County of Middlesex, neere unto the east-end of Clerkenwell Church, for the punishment and employment of sturdy Rogues and Vagabonds of the County of Middlesex, and for the furtherance of the said House, the City of London gave onto it five hundred pounds in money, to make a stock for the Employment of their Poore, and the Justices ordained two Masters and a Matron to govern the House. This was done this yeere 1615:” – Howes, p. 1023, ed. 1631.
There was a House of Correction in Tothill Fields in Charles II’s time. [See Hicks’s Hall.]
Source: A Handbook for London, Past and Present. Peter Cunningham. Published by John Murray 1849.
Bankrupts
Below is a list of people that were declared bankrupt between 1820 and 1843 extracted from The Bankrupt Directory; George Elwick; London; Simpkin, Marshall and Co.; 1843.
Akers John, Arlington street, Clerkenwell, broker, Jan 7, 1826.