London Family History Guide

London is situated on the banks of the river Thames, about sixty miles from the sea, and lies in four counties; in Middlesex and Essex to the north of the Thames, and in Kent and Surrey to the south of the Thames.

The limits of London, as defined by Act of Parliament for Parliamentary purposes, are “the circumference of a circle, the radius of which is of the length of three miles from the General Post Office.” This would make London about twenty miles in circumference; it is generally said to be about thirty. The City was included with the walls and gates, (such as Ludgate, Newgate, Moorgate, Aldersgate, Cripplegate, Bishopsgate, and Aldgate), and within certain liberties without the wall, marked by bars, – such as Holborn Bars, Whitechapel Bars, Temple Bar, &c.

Source: A Handbook for London, Past and Present. Peter Cunningham. Published by John Murray 1849.

See also Churches in London before the Fire

Parishes in London

A

• All Hallows Barking, London
• All Hallows Bread Street with St John the Evangelist, London
• All Hallows Staining, London
• All Hallows the Great and All Hallows the Less, London
• All Hallows, Lombard Street, London
• All Hallows, London Wall, London

B

• Barnard’s Inn, London
• Bridewell, London

C

• Christ Church, Newgate Street with St Leonard, Foster Lane, London

F

• Furnival’s Inn, London

H

• Holborn St Andrew, London
• Holy Trinity Gough Square, London

L

• London Cathedral, London

S

• Serjeants’ Inn, London
• St Alban Wood Street with St Olave Silver Street, London
• St Alphage London Wall, London
• St Andrew Undershaft with St Mary Axe, London
• St Andrew by the Wardrobe with St Ann Blackfriars, London
• St Ann and St Agnes with St John Zachary, London
• St Antholin with St John the Baptist upon Wallbrook, London
• St Augustine with St Faith, London
• St Bartholomew Moor Lane, London
• St Bartholomew the Great, London
• St Bartholomew the Less, London
• St Benet Gracechurch with St Leonard Eastcheap, London
• St Benet Paul’s Wharf with St Peter Paul’s Wharf, London
• St Botolph Aldersgate, London
• St Botolph without Aldgate, London
• St Botolph without Bishopsgate, London
• St Bride, London
• St Clement Eastcheap with St Martin Orgar, London
• St Dionis Backchurch, London
• St Dunstan in the East, London
• St Dunstan in the West, London
• St Edmund the King with St Nicholas Acons, London
• St Ethelburga, London
• St George Botolph-Lane with St Botolph Billingsgate, London
• St Giles without Cripplegate, London
• St Helen Bishopsgate, London
• St James Garlickhithe, London
• St James’ Duke’s Place, London
• St Katherine Coleman, London
• St Katherine Cree, London
• St Lawrence Jewry with St Mary Magdalene Milk Street, London
• St Magnus the Martyr with St Margaret New Fish Street and St Michael Crooked Lane, London
• St Margaret Lothbury with St Christopher le Stocks and St Bartholomew by the Exchange, London
• St Margaret Pattens with St Gabriel Fenchurch, London
• St Martin Ludgate, London
• St Martin Outwich, London
• St Mary Abchurch with St Lawrence Pountney, London
• St Mary Aldermanbury, London
• St Mary Aldermary with St Thomas the Apostle, London
• St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street with St Gregory by St Paul, London
• St Mary Somerset with St Mary Mounthaw, London
• St Mary Woolnoth with St Mary Woolchurch Haw, London
• St Mary at Hill with St Andrew Hubbard, London
• St Mary le Bow and St Pancras Soper Lane with All Hallows Honey Lane, London
• St Matthew Friday Street with St Peter Cheap, London
• St Michael Bassishaw, London
• St Michael Cornhill, London
• St Michael Queenhithe with Holy Trinity the Less, London
• St Michael Royal with St Martin Vintry, London
• St Michael Wood Street with St Mary Staining, London
• St Mildred Bread Street with St Margaret Moses, London
• St Mildred Poultry with St Mary Colechurch, London
• St Nicholas Cole Abbey with St Nicholas Olave, London
• St Olave Hart Street, London
• St Olave Old Jewry with St Martin Pomeroy, London
• St Peter Cornhill, London
• St Peter le Poer with St Benet Fink, London
• St Sepulchre, London
• St Stephen Coleman Street, London
• St Stephen Walbrook with St Benet Sherehog, London
• St Swithun London Stone with St Mary Bothaw, London
• St Thomas in the Liberty of the Rolls, London
• St Vedast Foster Lane with St Michael-le-Querne, London

T

• Thavie’s Inn, London
• The Temple, London

W

• Whitechapel St Mary, London
• Whitefriars, London

The Wards of London

The Wards of London bear the same relation to the City that the Hundred anciently did to the shire. The Wards are twenty-six in number, and are divided into several precincts, each of which returns one common councilman. The common councilmen and Ward officers are elected annually, and the meetings of the aldermen and common council are called Wardmotes.

The wards are: –

1. Aldersgate Within
2. Aldersgate Without
3. Aldgate
4. Bassishaw
5. Billingsgate
6. Bishopsgate Within
7. Bishopsgate Without
8. Bread-street
9. Bridge
10. Broad-street
11. Candlewick
12. Castle Baynard
13. Cheap
14. Coleman-street
15. Cordwainer
16. Cornhill
17. Cripplegate Within
18. Cripplegate Without
19. Dowgate
20. Farringdon Within (North)
21. Farringdon Within (south)
22. Farringdon Without
23. Langbourn
24. Lime Street
25. Portsoken
26. Queenhithe
27. Tower
28. Vintry
29. Walbrook

Source: A Handbook for London, Past and Present. Peter Cunningham. Published by John Murray 1849.