Camberwell was a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

and

metropolitan borough A metropolitan borough (or metropolitan district) is a type of districts of England, local government district in England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan distr ...

in south

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England.

Camberwell Camberwell ( ) is an List of areas of London, area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark, southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, St Giles ...

was an

ancient parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the county of

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

, governed by an

administrative vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spent nearly one-fi ...

from 1674. The parish was included in the area of responsibility of the

Metropolitan Board of Works The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the upper tier of local government for London between 1856 and 1889, primarily responsible for upgrading infrastructure. It also had a parks and open spaces committee which set aside and opened up severa ...

in 1855 and became part of the

County of London The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government A ...

in 1889. The parish of Camberwell became a metropolitan borough in 1900, following the

London Government Act 1899 The London Government Act 1899 ( 62 & 63 Vict. c. 14) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the administration of the capital. The act divided the County of London into 28 metropolitan boroughs, replacing the 42 loc ...

, with the parish vestry replaced by a borough council. In 1965 the borough was abolished and its former area became part of the

London Borough of Southwark The London Borough of Southwark ( ) in South London forms part of Inner London and is connected by bridges across the River Thames to the City of London and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council ...

in Greater London.

Geography

The original

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Camberwell St Giles had three divisions. They were the

Liberty of Peckham Peckham ( ) is a district in south-east London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vi ...

to the east, the Hamlet of Dulwich to the southwest and the central division of

proper. The liberty of Peckham stretched from north of

Old Kent Road Old Kent Road is a major thoroughfare in South East London, England, passing through the London Borough of Southwark. It was originally part of an ancient trackway that was paved by the Romans and used by the Anglo-Saxons who named it Wæcel ...

Honor Oak Honor Oak is an inner suburban area principally of the London Borough of Lewisham, with part in the London Borough of Southwark. It is named after the oak tree on One Tree Hill that Elizabeth I is reputed to have picnicked under. Overview One ...

, taking in

Peckham Peckham ( ) is a district in south-east London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vi ...

and

Nunhead Nunhead () is an inner-city suburb in the London Borough of Southwark, England,Southwark Council Nunhead and Peckham Rye Community Council southeast of Charing Cross. It is the location of the Nunhead Cemetery.BBC London Nunhead Cemetery/ref> ...

. Camberwell stretched from what is now

Burgess Park Burgess Park is a public park situated in Camberwell in the London Borough of Southwark. It is close to Walworth to the north, Bermondsey to the east and Peckham to the south. At , it is the largest park in the borough. Unlike most other park ...

in the north to what is now the

Horniman Museum The Horniman Museum and Gardens is a museum in Forest Hill, London, England. Commissioned in 1898, it opened in 1901 and was designed by Charles Harrison Townsend in the Modern Style. It has displays of anthropology, natural history and music ...

in the south, taking in the central

area around

Camberwell Green Camberwell Green is a hectare () of common land in Camberwell, south London laid out as a formal park. Its south-west corner is the junction of Camberwell Road/Denmark Hill and Camberwell New Road/Camberwell Church Street. Its other edges shar ...

, the eastern part of

Herne Hill Herne Hill () is a district in South London, approximately four miles from Charing Cross and bordered by Brixton, Camberwell, Dulwich, and Tulse Hill. It sits to the north and east of Brockwell Park and straddles the boundary between the London ...

and

East Dulwich East Dulwich is an area of South (London sub region), South East London, England in the London Borough of Southwark. It forms the eastern part of Dulwich, with Peckham to the east and Camberwell to the north. East Dulwich is home to the Dog Kenn ...

. It included a long protrusion in the west, surrounded by Lambeth, as far as what is now

Myatt's Fields Park Myatt's Fields Park is a 14-acre Victorian park in Camberwell in the London Borough of Lambeth in South London, England, 2.9 miles south-east of Charing Cross. History The majority of the area of Myatt's Fields belonged to the estate of Sir Hu ...

. The hamlet of Dulwich stretched from Champion Hill in the north to what is now Crystal Palace in the south, taking in

Dulwich Village Dulwich Village is an affluent area of Dulwich in South London, England. It is located in the London Borough of Southwark. History "Dulwich Village" is also the name of the village High Street. Residents in Dulwich Village have to pay ground re ...

West Dulwich West Dulwich ( ) is a neighbourhood in South London on the southern boundary of Brockwell Park, which straddles the London Borough of Lambeth and the London Borough of Southwark. Croxted Road and South Croxted Road mark the boundary between Sou ...

and

Sydenham Hill Sydenham Hill forms part of Norwood Ridge, a longer ridge and is an affluent Human settlement, locality in southeast London. It is also the name of a road which runs along the northeastern part of the ridge, demarcating the London Boroughs of ...

. In 1900 the Camberwell/Lambeth boundary was tidied up with an exchange of population (approximately 6,000 each way) which had the effect of transferring

to Lambeth.

Ecclesiastical parishes

The ancient parish, dedicated to

St Giles Saint Giles (, , , , ; 650 - 710), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 7th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly legendary. A ...

, was in the

Diocese of Winchester The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England. Founded in 660 AD, it is one of the older dioceses in England. It once covered the Kingdom of Wessex, many times its present size. Today it is most of th ...

until 1877, then the

Diocese of Rochester The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal si ...

until 1905, and then finally in the

Diocese of Southwark The Diocese of Southwark ( ) is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient ...

. From 1825, as the population of Camberwell increased, a number of new parishes were formed:A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4.
/ref> * St George, Camberwell In 1825 * Christ Church, Old Kent Road In 1838 * Emmanuel, Camberwell In 1842 * St Mary Magdalene, Peckham In 1842 * Camden Chapel, Camberwell In 1844 * St Matthew, Denmark Hill In 1848 * St Chrysostom, Peckham In 1865 * St John the Evangelist, East Dulwich In 1865 * St Andrew, Peckham In 1866 * St Peter, Dulwich Common In 1867 Genuki
* St Stephen, South Dulwich In 1868 * All Saints, Blenheim Grove, Peckham In 1872 * St James, Knatchbull Road, Camberwell In 1874 * St Antony (formerly St Antholin), Nunhead In 1878 * St Luke, Rosemary Road, Peckham In 1878 * St Jude, Peckham In 1880 * St Saviour, Denmark Park In 1881 * St Mark, Peckham In 1884 * St Clement, East Dulwich In 1886 * St Batholemew, South Bermondsey In 1887 * All Saints, North Peckham In 1892 * St Barnabas, Dulwich In 1894 * St Silas, Nunhead In 1895 In addition, as the population of neighbouring areas increased, parts of Camberwell parish were included in new parishes: * St Paul, Herne Hill In 1845 ''with parts of St Mary, Lambeth''A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4.
/ref> * St Philip, Avondale Square In 1876 ''with parts of St Anne, Bermondsey''A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4.
/ref> * St Mark, Camberwell In 1880 ''with parts of All Saints, Newington''A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4.
/ref>

Coat of arms

The corporation was granted arms in 1901. The shield depicted the main areas of the borough. In the first and fourth quarter was a well, for Camberwell. The second quarter was for Dulwich: the chevron and cinquefoils from the arms of

Edward Alleyn Edward Alleyn (; 1 September 156621 November 1626) was an England, English actor who was a major figure of the Elizabethan theatre and founder of the College of God's Gift in Dulwich. Early life Alleyn was born on 1 September 1566 in Bishop ...

, founder of

Alleyn's School Alleyn's School is a 4–18 Mixed-sex education, co-educational, independent, day school and sixth form in Dulwich, London, England. It is a registered charity and was originally part of Edward Alleyn's College of God's Gift charitable foundatio ...

. The third quarter represented Peckham: the lion was from the arms of Robert, Earl of Gloucester, one time lord of the manor. The crest depicted a wounded hart, symbol of

, patron saint of Camberwell. In 1927 the borough was additionally granted an

heraldic badge A heraldic badge, emblem, impresa, device, or personal device worn as a badge indicates allegiance to, or the property of, an individual, family or corporate body. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance. They are ...

and standard. The badge depicted a

Camberwell beauty ''Nymphalis antiopa'', known as the mourning cloak in North America and the Camberwell beauty in Britain, is a large butterfly native to Eurasia and North America. The immature form of this species is sometimes known as the spiny elm caterpillar. ...

butterfly.

Politics

Under the

Metropolis Management Act 1855 The Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c. 120), also known as the Metropolis (Management) Act 1855 or the Metropolis Local Management Act 1855, is an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom tha ...

any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such the incorporated vestry of St Giles Camberwell was divided into six wards (electing

vestrymen A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or regio ...

): No. 1 or St George's West (12), No. 2 or St George's East (12), No. 3 or Camden (12), No. 4 or North Peckham (15), No. 5 or South Peckham (15) and No. 6 or Camberwell & Dulwich (18). In 1894 as its population had increased the incorporated vestry was re-divided into eight wards (electing

): St George's West (15), St George's East (12), Camden (12), North Peckham (21), South Peckham (21), North Dulwich (15), Central Dulwich (12) and South Dulwich (12). The metropolitan borough was divided into twenty wards for elections: Addington, Alleyn, Clifton, Coburg, Goldsmith, Lyndhurst, Marlborough, North Peckham, Nunhead, Ruskin, Rye Lane, St George's, St Giles, St John's, St Mary's, The College, The Hamlet, The Rye, The West and Town Hall.

Borough council

From 1900 to 1934 the borough was controlled by the

Municipal Reform Party The Municipal Reform Party was a local party allied to the parliamentary Conservative Party in the County of London. The party contested elections to both the London County Council and metropolitan borough councils of the county from 1906 to 194 ...

(allied to the

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

). In 1934 the Labour Party gained control, which they retained until abolition in 1965.

Parliament constituency

For elections to

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, the borough was divided into three constituencies: * Camberwell, Dulwich * Camberwell, North * Camberwell, Peckham In 1918 the borough's representation was increased to four seats: * Camberwell, Dulwich * Camberwell, North * Camberwell, North-West * Camberwell, Peckham In 1950 the number of seats was halved to 2: * Camberwell, Dulwich * Camberwell, Peckham

Population and area

The area of the borough was . The population, as recorded at the census, was: Camberwell Vestry 1801–1899 Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961

References

External links

''A Vision of Britain''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Camberwell, Metropolitan Borough of Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London Former civil parishes in the London Borough of Southwark Parishes governed by vestries (Metropolis) 1900 establishments in the United Kingdom 1965 disestablishments in the United Kingdom Metropolitan Borough of Districts abolished by the London Government Act 1963