IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0347 BP
Held at: Wandsworth Heritage Service
Title: Battersea Parish
Date(s): 1560-1878
Level of description: Collection
Extent: 7 sub-fonds, 2490 files
Name of creator(s):
Please contact the Archive for further information.
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
Until 1856, the Vestry of Battersea was an open vestry, including all the ratepayers and with the Vicar as chair. After the 1855 Metropolis Management Act, the parish ceased to be seen as a rural parish and began being classed as a part of London. The Vestry was set up, and classed as part of the Wandsworth District Board of Works, along with Clapham, Wandsworth, Putney, Streatham and Tooting, where it had 12 representatives. The Highway Board and Inspectors of Lighting for Battersea were superseded, and their powers passed to the District Board of Works. From 1877 to 1887 various attempts were made to incorporate Battersea in its own right and after the Metropolis Management (Battersea and Westminster) Act, 1887 Battersea ceased to be represented on the Wandsworth District Board of Works and Battersea Vestry was incorporated. This meant it took on responsibility as the Sanitary, Highway and Sewer Authority for the parish and had to elect vestry-men. In 1888 the Vestry took possession of offices in Battersea Rise, purchasing them from the District Board of Works and in 1891 purchased the Elm Hill Estate on Lavender Hill to build a new Town Hall. The building, designed by E Mountford, was opened in 1893. The 1899 London Government Act wound up the vestry system and created Metropolitan Borough Councils, which took over from 1900.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
Battersea Parish was responsible for the civil administration of Battersea until the creation of Battersea Metropolitan Borough Council in 1900. This collection includes records of: the Battersea Parish Vestry; the Battersea Parish Overseers of the Poor; the Battersea Workhouse, 1744-1835; the parish Churchwardens; Battersea Lammas Hall; the parish Surveyor of Highways; various charities within the parish; and other records relating to the civil administration of the parish.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English
System of arrangement:
Please contact the Archive for further information.
Conditions governing access:
This material is only available in the Wandsworth Heritage Service search room at Battersea Library. Please contact Heritage Service staff for more information.
Conditions governing reproduction:
The data in this finding aid is in the copyright of the place of deposit; the Access to Archives database is in Crown Copyright.
Finding aids:
This is a partial catalogue, some material remains uncatalogued. A hard copy is available in the Wandsworth Heritage Service search room.
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Archival history:
Immediate source of acquisition:
Please contact the Archive for further information.
ALLIED MATERIALS
Related material:
Parish registers for St Mary Battersea and other churches within Battersea are held at London Metropolitan Archives. Wandsworth District Board of Works papers are held at Wandsworth Heritage Service, ref: WDBW. Battersea Metropolitan Borough Council records are also held by Wandsworth Heritage Service, ref: MBB.
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Archivist's note:
Finding aid created by export from CALM v8.0.2.40 Archives Hub EAD2002. Entry amended by Barbara Ball.
Date(s) of descriptions: April 2011