Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the
Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of
Woolwich.
History
Until 1965, Plumstead was in the
historic county of
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and the detail of much of its early history can be found in
Edward Hasted
Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 NS) – 14 January 1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of Kent. As such, he was the author of a major county history, ''The History and T ...
's extensive history of Kent.
In 960 King
Edgar
Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and '' gar'' "spear").
Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, r ...
gave four plough lands, collectively called Plumstead, to a monastery -
St Augustine's Abbey
St Augustine's Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Canterbury, Kent, England. The abbey was founded in 598 and functioned as a monastery until its dissolution in 1538 during the English Reformation. After the abbey's dissolution, it underwent ...
near
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...
,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. These were subsequently taken from the monastery by
Earl Godwin
Godwin of Wessex ( ang, Godwine; – 15 April 1053) was an English nobleman who became one of the most powerful earls in England under the Danish king Cnut the Great (King of England from 1016 to 1035) and his successors. Cnut made Godwin the ...
for his fourth son,
Tostig
Tostig Godwinson ( 102925 September 1066) was an Anglo-Saxon Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold Godwinson. After being exiled by his brother, Tostig supported the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada's invasion of England, and was killed ...
.
King
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066.
Edward was the son of Æt ...
restored them again to the monastery on taking power, however Tostig saw the opportunity to take possession of them once again after Edward's death in 1066 when
King Harold seized his brother's estates.
After the
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings nrf, Batâle dé Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between the Norman-French army of William, the Duke of Normandy, and an English army under the Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson, beginning the Norman Conque ...
in 1066,
William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...
gifted Plumstead to his half-brother
Odo, Bishop of Bayeux
Odo of Bayeux (died 1097), Earl of Kent and Bishop of Bayeux, was the maternal half-brother of William the Conqueror, and was, for a time, second in power after the King of England.
Early life
Odo was the son of William the Conqueror's mother ...
, whom he also titled
Earl of Kent. The
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...
Lanfranc of Pavia and the
Norman abbot of St Austin's successfully interceded to reclaim a portion of the land on behalf of the monastery. In 1074 Odo then granted by deed the remainder of the parish and also the right of the abbot to be "Chief Lord of the Fee".
However, the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
of 1086 holds the details of Plumstead as two separate entries. Under the title of the land of the church of
St. Augustine
Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...
it reads
''"In Litelai hundred. The abbot of St. Augustine has 1 manor, named Plumstede, which was taxed at 2 sulings and 1 yoke. The arable lands is ... In demesne there is 1 carucate and 17 villeins, with 6 cottagers, having 6 carucates, there is wood for the pannage of 5 hogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, and afterwards it was worth 10 pounds, now 12 pounds, and yet it pays 14 pounds and 8 shillings and 3 pence."''
while under the general title of the Bishop of Baieux's lands
''"The abbot of St. Augustine holds of the bishop of Baieux, Plumsted. It was taxed at 2 sulings and 1 yoke. The arable land is 5 carucates. In demesne there is 1 carucate and 17 villeins, with 3 boarderers, having 4 carucates. There is wood for the pannage of 5 hogs. In the time of king Edward the Confessor it was worth 10 pounds, when he received it 8 pounds, and now as much, and yet he who holds it pays 12 pounds. Brixi Cilt held it of king Edward."''
Around this time Reginald, son of Gervase de Cornhill, released to the abbot and convent all claims in this manor from David and Robert de Cornhill who had rented it from them.
By 1273 Nicholas de Spina was elected abbot of the monastery and by the following year he was receiving eleven pounds from Plumstead residents.
Lora de Ros, lady of Horton, gave her right to two
carucates of land and of woods in Plumstead to the abbot, Thomas, in return for the rights of her and her heirs to partake of prayers performed in the church during 1287. It appears that Robert, the last abbot but one, had recovered a share of this land from her ancestor, Richard de Ros. It was found by a jury of grand assizes that his ancestors held this land in tenancy from the abbot and convent at a rent of twelve pound per annum.
In 1314, during the reign of
Edward II of England, the abbot was summoned before
Hervey de Stanton, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was asked to show by what right he claimed sundry liberties and
free warren on the manor of Plumstead amongst others. Other questions included the right for a weekly market in Plumstead on a Wednesday and a fair yearly for three days "on the Eve day, and morrow of
St. Nicholas".
For reasons that remain unclear,
King Edward III
Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...
exempted the men and tenants of the manor of Plumstead from providing four men from the borough for the
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
as was the requirement elsewhere. A writ to Roger de Reynham, Sheriff of Kent, in 1332 directed and commanded him that the residents of Plumstead should be allowed to send one man only. By 1363 Edward also decreed to the monastery in his charter of infpeximus that he released all manors and possessions given to it by former kings, including
William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...
. He also confirmed all the grants of liberties previously bestowed on the abbot and monastery.
By the time of
Richard II of England
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...
the taxes from Plumstead were valued at 69 pounds, 10 shillings and sixpence, and
Henry VI of England
Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne ...
reconfirmed the liberties and rights of the monastery.
Plumstead manor, together with the church of Plumstead and the chapel of Wickham annexed to it, remained part of the possessions of the monastery until its final dissolution in 1539, the 30th year of the reign of
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, when the abbey and all its revenues were surrendered into the King's hands by the then abbot, John Essex, and its thirty members.
Plumstead expanded rapidly in the 1880s with housing developed for workers at the
Royal Arsenal; two-up two-down terraced housing was common in the area close to the river and the Arsenal, whereas larger and smarter properties were developed uphill from the Thames, around
Plumstead Common. The 1878 Plumstead Common Act protected
Plumstead Common as public open space forever. In the late 19th century,
Woolwich cemetery
Woolwich cemetery is a cemetery in southeast London, situated south-east of Woolwich, in Kings Highway, Plumstead, on land that was formerly part of Plumstead Common. The first cemetery, which is sometimes referred to as the Woolwich Old Cemete ...
was developed in two phases (1856, 1855) on land formerly part of the southern edge of the Common.
Plumstead was also the home of the
Peculiar People and an account of this Protestant sect is recorded in 'Unorthodox London' by the journalist
Charles Maurice Davies. The
Plymouth Brethren have had numerous meeting rooms in the area since about 1845. The present Brethren meeting places are at Plum Lane (1865), Willenhall Road (ca 1910) and Brewery Road (Richmond Gospel Hall).
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...
s met nearby in Woolwich from 1905, and in their own Meeting House from 1924.
Plumstead had rapid housing growth but still retained large areas of green land i.e. Winns Common, Plumstead Common, Shrewsbury Park and Rockcliffe Gardens. The urban sprawl of lower Plumstead adjacent to Woolwich was not initially matched by upper Plumstead.
Education
Plumstead Manor School is located in the area. The school was first established as Plumstead County School for Girls in 1913, and was later renamed Kings Warren Grammar School before becoming a
comprehensive school
A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is re ...
in 1967. The school was a girls school until September 2018, after which it began accepting students of all genders.
There are a number of primary schools in Plumstead including St. Patricks RC Primary School, St. Margaret's CofE Primary School, Gallions Mount Primary School, Timbercroft Primary School, Bannockburn Primary School, Plumcroft Primary School, Greenslade Primary School, South Rise Primary School, and Conway Primary School.
Sport
Arsenal Football Club (then known as Royal Arsenal or Woolwich Arsenal) played in Plumstead between 1886 and 1913, at various grounds in the Plumstead area, but mainly at the
Manor Ground, on the north side of Plumstead Common Road and the
Invicta Ground
The Invicta Ground was a football stadium in Plumstead, south-east London, that was the home of club Royal Arsenal, now known as Arsenal.
History
Named after '' Invicta'', the motto of the county of Kent, the ground was Arsenal's first proper st ...
, where the
Royal Ordnance Factories F.C.
Royal Ordnance Factories Football Club were a football club from south east London, England, that existed in the late 19th century.
History
In 1893, the former workers' team at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, Woolwich Arsenal FC, was by now a ...
also played.
Transport
Rail
Plumstead railway station
Plumstead railway station serves the suburb of Plumstead, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, east of Woolwich Arsenal. It is measured from . It is served by Southeastern.
Plumstead is on the North Kent Line and was opened 10 years after the l ...
serves the area with
National Rail services to
London Charing Cross
Charing Cross railway station (also known as London Charing Cross) is a central London railway terminus between the Strand and Hungerford Bridge in the City of Westminster. It is the terminus of the South Eastern Main Line to Dover via Ashf ...
via
Lewisham
Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one ...
,
London Cannon Street
Cannon Street station, also known as London Cannon Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Travelcard zone 1 located on Cannon Street in the City of London and managed by Network Rail. It is o ...
via
Greenwich, London Cannon Street via
Bexleyheath
Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011.
Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
, London Cannon Street via
Sidcup,
Kentish Town via Greenwich,
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
and
Rainham.
Buses
Plumstead is served by many bus routes provided by
Transport for London. These connect Plumstead with other areas including
Bexleyheath
Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011.
Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
,
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...
,
Crystal Palace,
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and
is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...
,
Eltham
Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards o ...
,
Erith
Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...
,
Greenwich,
Lewisham
Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one ...
,
New Cross,
Orpington
Orpington is a town and area in south east London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross.
On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area, it is south of St ...
,
Peckham,
Sidcup,
Thamesmead
Thamesmead is an area of south-east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross, north-east of Woolwich and west of Erith. It mainly consi ...
,
Welling and
Woolwich.
Notable people
Notable people from Plumstead include:
*
Ethel Edith Bilsland, composer, soprano and pianist
*
Michael Bradshaw
Michael Bradshaw (18 April 1933 – 13 December 2001) was an English actor.
Early life in England
Born in Plumstead, London, he grew up in Boxmoor, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire to the north west of London. While growing up there he sa ...
, actor
*
Charlie Buchan, footballer and writer
*
John Carnell, science fiction magazine editor
*
Stephen Lawrence, victim of a racially motivated homicide
*
George Chakravarthi
George Chakravarthi is a multi-disciplinary artist working with photography, video, painting and performance. His work addresses the politics of identity including race, sexuality and gender, and also religious iconography among other subjects. ...
, artist
*
Ernest Clark, Governor of Tasmania .
*
Charlie Collier, motorcycle racer
*
Steve Davis, snooker player
*
Fred Hammill
Frederick Parkin Hammill (4 May 1856 - 8 July 1901) was a British trade union activist, and a co-founder of the Independent Labour Party.
Career
Known generally as "Fred", Hammill was born in Leeds on 4 May 1856, trained as an engineer, and mo ...
, trade unionist
*
Kevin Horlock
Kevin Horlock (born 1 November 1972) is a football manager and former professional footballer. He is the manager of Needham Market and assistant manager of the Northern Ireland under-21 team.
As a player he was a midfielder who notably playe ...
, footballer
*
Marvin Humes, member of X-Factor finalist boy band, JLS
*
Malvin Kamara, footballer
*
Scott Maslen, television actor
*
Taiwo Owatemi, MP for
Coventry North West
*
Lee Ryan, of boy band
Blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
*
Tinie Tempah, rapper
*
Nina Toussaint-White, television actress
*
Paul Walsh
Paul may refer to:
* Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
, footballer
*
Bill Whitehouse, Formula 1 racing driver
*
Shampoo
Shampoo () is a hair care product, typically in the form of a viscous liquid, that is used for cleaning hair. Less commonly, shampoo is available in solid bar format. Shampoo is used by applying it to wet hair, massaging the product into the ...
, Pop duo
Notable people buried in
Plumstead Cemetery include:
*
William Bennet (bishop)
William Bennet (4 March 1746 – 16 July 1820) (spelled William Bennett on his memorial in Cloyne Cathedral) was Bishop of Cloyne, Ireland, and an antiquary.
He was born in the Tower of London and educated at Harrow School and Emmanuel College, C ...
, Bishop of Cloyne, Ireland, was buried in Plumstead in 1820, before the local cemeteries were established.
*
Thomas Flawn VC (22 December 1857 - 19 January 1925)
*
Edwin Hughes Edwin Hughes may refer to:
* Edwin Hughes (footballer) (1885-1949), Welsh footballer
* Edwin Hughes (musician) (1884–1965), American pianist, teacher, music editor, and composer
* Edwin Hughes (politician) (1832–1904), English solicitor and Co ...
MP (27 May 1832 – 15 September 1904)
*
Alfred Smith VC (1861 - 6 January 1932)
Nearby areas
*
Abbey Wood
*
Belvedere Belvedere (from Italian, meaning "beautiful sight") may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Belvedere, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region
Africa
* Belvedere (Casablanca), a neighborhood in Casablanca, Morocco
* Belvedere, Harare, Z ...
*
Blackheath
*
Charlton
*
East Wickham
*
Greenwich
*
Shooters Hill
*
Thamesmead
Thamesmead is an area of south-east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross, north-east of Woolwich and west of Erith. It mainly consi ...
*
Welling
*
West Heath
*
Woolwich
*
Bexleyheath
Bexleyheath is a town in south-east London, England. It had a population of 31,929 as at 2011.
Bexleyheath is located south-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
Gallery
File:Plumstead, Church of St Nicholas - geograph.org.uk - 382554.jpg, St. Nicholas' Church
File:Plumstead cemetery with chapel - geograph.org.uk - 1454940.jpg, Cemetery
File:Plume of Feathers, Plumstead, SE18 (2863858814).jpg, Traditional pub
File:London, Plumstead Common 04.jpg, Plumstead Common
References
External links
Greenwich CouncilGreenwich Young Peoples Council
{{Authority control
Districts of the Royal Borough of Greenwich
Areas of London
Former civil parishes in the Royal Borough of Greenwich
District centres of London