Westminster St James

St. James' Parish, Westminster Act 1685
St. James' Parish, Westminster Act 1685
Act of Parliament
	Parliament of England
Long title	An Act for erecting a new Parish, to be called the Parish of St. James, within the Liberty of Westminster.
Citation	1 Ja. 2. c. 10
Dates
Royal assent	27 June 1685

Westminster St James
Westminster St James
	;
Area
• 1881	815 acres (3.30 km2)
• 1901	766 acres (3.10 km2)
• 1921	767 acres (3.10 km2)
Population
• 1881	29,941
• 1901	21,588
• 1921	13,644
History
• Origin	Bailiwick of St James
• Created	1685
• Abolished	1900 (vestry); 1922 (civil parish)
• Succeeded by	Metropolitan Borough of Westminster
Status	Civil parish
Government	St James Vestry (1685–1900)
• HQ	Vestry Hall, Piccadilly

Westminster St James (or St James Piccadilly) was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish followed the building of the Church of St James, Piccadilly, in 1684. After several failed attempts, the parish was formed in 1685 from part of the ancient parish of St Martin in the Fields in the Liberty of Westminster and county of Middlesex. It included part of the West End of London, taking in sections of Soho, Mayfair and St James's. Civil parish administration was in the hands of a select vestry until the parish adopted the Vestries Act 1831. The vestry was reformed again in 1855 by the Metropolis Management Act. In 1889 the parish became part of the County of London and the vestry was abolished in 1900, replaced by Westminster City Council. The parish continued to have nominal existence until 1922.

Creation

There were attempts in 1664, 1668 and 1670 to create a new parish, with its own church, from the area of the bailiwick of St James within the ancient parish of St Martin in the Fields. The creation of the new parish was resisted by the vestry of St Martin in the Fields. In 1684 the Church of St James, Piccadilly, was constructed which improved the case for providing a new parish.^[1]

It was created in 1685 from part of the ancient parish of St Martin in the Fields, and was within the Liberty of Westminster.^[2] The parish was included in the returns of the Bills of mortality.^[3]

The legislation creating the parish in 1685 provided for a select vestry of 34 vestrymen.

Geography

It corresponded to the western portion of the contemporary district of Soho, the eastern part of Mayfair and the northern part of St James's. To the north the boundary was along Oxford Street with St Marylebone, to the east it had a boundary with St Anne, Soho, running along Berwick Street and Rupert Street. To the south there was a boundary with St Martin in the Fields, roughly along Pall Mall. In the west there was a somewhat more irregular boundary with St George Hanover Square, partly following Conduit Street, Old Bond Street and Dover Street. The building of Regent Street in the early 19th century made the division of the parish between the Mayfair and Soho areas more defined.

Government

The parish adopted the Vestries Act 1831 and on 6 April 1832 there was an election of vestrymen by all ratepayers. In 1855 the parish vestry became a local authority within the area of responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works and the number of elected vestrymen increased by 12.

Under the Metropolis Management Act 1855 any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such the incorporated vestry of St James Westminster was divided into four wards (electing vestrymen): No. 1 or Great Marlborough (12), No. 2 or Pall Mall (12), No. 3 or Church (15) and No. 4 or Golden Square (9).^[4]^[5]

The Local Government Act 1894 reformed the method of election for London vestries, with the entire vestry replaced at an election held on 15 December 1894. One third of the vestry was then elected every year starting in 1896.

Poor law

The parish was independent for the administration of the New Poor Law, until it joined the Westminster Union in 1868.

Abolition

In 1889 the parish became part of the County of London and in 1900 it became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster, with the parish vestry replaced by Westminster City Council. It was abolished as a civil parish in 1922.

Population

The population of the parish as recorded in the decennial census was:^[6]

Year	1801	1811	1821	1831	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911	1921
Population	34,462	34,093	33,819	37,053	37,398	36,406	?	33,619	29,941	24,995	21,588	16,159	13,644

References

^ "The Parish and Vestry of St. James - British History Online".
^ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.
^ Reginald H. Adams (1971). The Parish Clerks of London. Phillimore.
^ The London Gazette Issue: 21802. 20 October 1855. pp. 3884–3887. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
^ "H.M.S.O. Boundary Commission Report 1885 Westminster Map". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
^ "Westminster St James/Vest through time - Population Statistics - Total Population".

51°30′31″N 0°8′13″W / 51.50861°N 0.13694°W / 51.50861; -0.13694

[1] "The Parish and Vestry of St. James - British History Online".

[Youngs-2] Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.

[3] Reginald H. Adams (1971). The Parish Clerks of London. Phillimore.

[4] The London Gazette Issue: 21802. 20 October 1855. pp. 3884–3887. Retrieved 8 April 2015.

[5] "H.M.S.O. Boundary Commission Report 1885 Westminster Map". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 8 April 2015.

[6] "Westminster St James/Vest through time - Population Statistics - Total Population".

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e Metropolitan Board of Works
Boards of works	Fulham Greenwich Hackney Holborn Lee/Plumstead Lewisham Limehouse Poplar St Giles St Olave St Saviour's Strand Wandsworth Westminster Whitechapel	Headquarters at Spring Gardens
Incorporated vestries	Battersea Bermondsey Bethnal Green Camberwell Chelsea Clerkenwell Fulham Hackney Hammersmith Hampstead Islington Kensington Lambeth Mile End Old Town Newington Paddington Plumstead Rotherhithe St George Hanover Square St George in the East St Luke's St Martin-in-the-Fields St Marylebone St Pancras Shoreditch Southwark St George the Martyr Stoke Newington Westminster St Margaret and St John Westminster St James Woolwich
Undertakings	Metropolitan Buildings Office Metropolitan Commission of Sewers Metropolitan Fire Brigade
Major works	Charing Cross Road Hammersmith Bridge London sewer system Northumberland Avenue Putney Bridge Southwark Street Shaftesbury Avenue Thames Embankment Waterloo Bridge
Legislation	Royal Commission on the City of London Metropolis Management Act 1855 Metropolis Management Amendment Act 1885 Local Government Act 1888 London Government Act 1899
People	Francis Fowler Frederick Marrable James McGarel-Hogg John Thwaites Joseph Bazalgette List of members

v t e History of the formation of the City of Westminster
Metropolitan boroughs	St Marylebone Paddington Westminster
District boards	Strand Westminster
Parishes	Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter Liberty of the Rolls Precinct of the Savoy St Anne Within the Liberty of Westminster St Clement Danes St George Hanover Square St Martin-in-the-Fields St Mary le Strand St Paul Covent Garden Westminster St James Westminster St Margaret and St John
Liberties	The Savoy Westminster

v t e Soho and Chinatown
Streets	Argyll Street Berwick Street Brewer Street Broadwick Street Carnaby Street Dean Street Frith Street Ganton Street Great Marlborough Street Great Windmill Street Greek Street Meard Street Old Compton Street St Anne's Court Street names of Chinatown Street names of Soho Walker's Court Wardour Street
Parks and open spaces	Golden Square Soho Square St Anne's Churchyard
Theatres	Apollo Theatre Gielgud Theatre London Palladium Palace Theatre Prince Edward Theatre Sondheim Theatre @sohoplace Soho Theatre
Pubs	Admiral Duncan Coach and Horses Comptons De Hems French House John Snow Pillars of Hercules
Churches	French Protestant Church Notre Dame de France St Anne's Church St Patrick's Church
Industries	Media and post-production
History	Broad Street cholera outbreak Parish of St Anne Parish of St James