The Liberties of the Tower, or the Tower Liberty, was a

liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

in the

London Borough of Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London boroughs, borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and ...

, Central London, which includes both

Tower Hill Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher gro ...

and the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

. The area was defined sometime after 1200 to provide an open area around the Tower to ensure its defensibility. The liberty was an independent administrative unit from then until it was formally abolished on 25 June 1894. The district maintains a ceremonial existence, with its custom of

beating the bounds Beating the bounds or perambulating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in parts of England, Wales, and the New England region of the United States, which involves swatting local landmarks with branches to maintain a shared mental map o ...

being a particularly well known example of the tradition.

History

The liberty was founded sometime after 1200, from land that had previously part of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

Components and purpose

The area originally comprised three small

liberties Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

: * Tower Within; The Tower, its moat and a small area of Tower Hill outside the

city wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or Earthworks (military), earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as ...

. *

Old Tower Without Old Tower Without was an extra-parochial area, usually described as a "precinct", and after 1858 a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. Old Tower Without was outside the jurisdiction of either the City of London or the County ...

; on Tower Hill, outside the Tower and mostly within the city wall. * Great Tower Hill; on Tower Hill, outside the Tower and inside the city wall. In everyday speech, the term ''Great Tower Hill'' came to apply to Tower Hill inside the

, with ''Little Tower Hill'' referring to the area outside the wall. The presence of a unit called Great Tower Hill which covered only part of the area inside the city wall would later cause legal confusion. The liberties had an administration separate from the neighbouring county and city, headed by the

Constable of the Tower of London The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

, appointed their own coroner, and had their own courthouse with general and

quarter sessions The courts of quarter sessions or quarter sessions were local courts that were traditionally held at four set times each year in the Kingdom of England from 1388; they were extended to Wales following the Laws in Wales Act 1535. Scotland establ ...

and gaol. A force of constables was appointed for the area. The inhabitants had certain other privileges such as being able to claim any beast that fell from, and any swans under,

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

. The boundaries were presented by a Leet Jury in 1525, and again as surveyed by Haiward and Gascoyne in 1597. Scale Model Of The Tower Of London In The Tower Of London

Scale Model Of The Tower Of London In The Tower Of London

From the mid-seventeenth century, the liberty was part of a larger liberty, the Tower Division or Tower Hamlets which was independent of the county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

, carrying out Hundred and County responsibilities locally.

Expansion and evolution

The area of the

expanded in 1686, when

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

granted by James II added three small

exclaves An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

; the

Old Artillery Ground The Old Artillery Ground is an area of land in Spitalfields, London formerly designated one of the Liberties of the Tower of London and Crown Land. Originally the outer precinct of the Priory and Hospital of St Mary Spital, it was converted to an ...

, Little Minories and the

Liberty of Wellclose Wellclose Square is a public square in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, between Cable Street to the north and The Highway to the south. The western edge, now called Ensign Street, was previously called Well Street. The southern edge was c ...

. These areas had come into the possession of the Crown when the religious houses that formerly administered them were dissolved. They were subsequently used for the storing of ordnance. From 1837, the liberty formed part of the Whitechapel Poor Law Union, a grouping of administrative areas that combined for the purposes of administering poor relief. From 1855, the area became part of the Whitechapel District for certain local government purposes.

Administrative function phased out

Extra-parochial places were progressively eliminated and following the

Extra-Parochial Places Act 1857 In England and Wales, an extra-parochial area, extra-parochial place or extra-parochial district was a geographically defined area considered to be outside any ecclesiastical or civil parish. Anomalies in the parochial system meant they had no ch ...

, the

and

became civil parishes in 1858. The Old Artillery Ground became a civil parish in 1866, following the

Poor Law Amendment Act 1867 The Poor Law Amendment Act 1867 ( 30 & 31 Vict. c. 106) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, sponsored by Gathorne Gathorne-Hardy, 1st Earl of Cranbrook and supported by Henry Herbert, 4th Earl of Carnarvon, Florence Nightingale ...

. The liberty had become obsolete by 1889 when it 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 ...

. It was thought that the

Local Government Act 1888 The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales. It came into effect ...

had removed the jurisdiction of the justices. However, the charter was found to be still in operation. The liberty was abolished on 25 June 1894, following a petition by the justices of the peace of the County of London under the

Liberties Act 1850 The Liberties Act 1850 ( 13 & 14 Vict. c. 105) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that provided a mechanism to enable the various liberties or independent jurisdictions in England and Wales to be merged into the geographical co ...

. The Whitechapel District was dissolved in 1900 and local government functions passed to the

Metropolitan Borough of Stepney The Metropolitan Borough of Stepney was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London created in 1900. In 1965, it became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Formation and boundaries The borough was formed from thirteen civil parishes ...

. The liberty continued as a franchise coroner's district. The

Coroners (Amendment) Act 1926 A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death. The official may also investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

( 16 & 17 Geo. 5. c. 59) provided that the district could be dissolved when a vacancy arose; when a vacancy occurred on 10 May 1939, an order was made on 30 November 1939 combining it with the east district. This came into effect on 1 January 1940. Since 1965 it has formed part of the

in Greater London. Following boundary changes around the

Minories Minories ( ) is the name of a small former administrative unit, and also of a street in the Aldgate area of the City of London. Both the street and the former administrative area take their name from the Abbey of the Minoresses of St. Clare w ...

in 1994, small parts are now in the

Historic population data

The population was 3,995 in 1811 and 4,190 in 1831, the large majority of these people living in the former exclaves.

Myth and legend

The importance of the Tower has given its locality an important place in the wider national consciousness. The head of

Brân the Blessed Brân the Blessed ( or ''Brân Fendigaidd'', literally "Blessed Crow") is a giant and king of Britain in Welsh mythology. He appears in several of the Welsh Triads, but his most significant role is in the Second Branch of the Mabinogi, '' ...

, a legendary giant, and King of Britain was said to have been buried on the ''White Hill'', identified with either Tower Hill or the spot where the White Tower now stands, facing France, in order that its power would ward of invasion, particularly from that direction. As long as it remained there, Britain would be safe from invasion. This myth is connected with the Celtic cult of the head. However, a jealous

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

dug up the head, declaring the country would be protected only by his great strength, and this mistake led to the success of the Anglo-Saxon invasions. The name Brân is Welsh, and translates to English as

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

raven A raven is any of several large-bodied passerine bird species in the genus '' Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between crows and ravens; the two names are assigne ...

; leading to comparisons with the

ravens of the Tower of London Ravens may refer to: * Raven, a species of the genus ''Corvus'' of passerine birds Sports * Anderson Ravens, the intercollegiate athletic program of Anderson University in Indiana * Baltimore Ravens, a professional American football franchise * ...

. It is said that if the ravens were to leave, the Tower, the Crown and Britain itself would fall.

Beating the bounds

The history of the liberty is still recognised in a triennial ceremony of

organised jointly by The Tower authorities and the local parish of

All Hallows by the Tower All Hallows-by-the-Tower, at one time dedicated jointly to All Hallows (All Saints) and the Virgin Mary and sometimes known as All Hallows Barking, is an Early Medieval Anglican church on Byward Street in the City of London, England, overlooking ...

every third

Ascension Day The Feast of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (also called the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, Ascension Day, Ascension Thursday, or sometimes Holy Thursday) commemorates the Christian belief of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. It ...

. Ascension Day, or ''Holy Thursday'', is a feast which falls 39 days after

Easter Sunday Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...

. The party moves along the Liberty's 31 boundary stones; at each one the Chaplain exclaims “Cursed is he who removeth his neighbours landmark”. The chief warder then says “Whack it boys, whack it” and the children beat the marker bounds with their willow wands. Children take part in such ceremonies because they will have the longest recollections of them, carrying the detailed knowledge of their neighbourhood throughout their lifetime. The boundary includes the inlet known as

Tower Dock Tower Dock is an inlet of the Thames immediately west of the Tower of London. Only the head of the dock remains with the rest having been filled in during the late 1950s. Location Tower Dock lay immediately west of the Tower of London's entranc ...

. The ceremony is referred to in the name of 'The Liberty Bounds'

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

(

Wetherspoons J D Wetherspoon (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a British pub company operating in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim ...

) in the former General Steam Navigation Company's headquarters on the corner of

Byward Street Byward Street is a road in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. It forms part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3211 route and, if travelling eastward, is a short continuation of Thames ...

and Trinity Square.

Open spaces

Tower Hill

* Trinity Square Gardens – including the

Tower Hill Memorial The Tower Hill Memorial is a pair of Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorials in Trinity Square Gardens, on Tower Hill in London, England. The memorials, one for the First World War and one for the Second, commemorate civilian, merchant seaf ...

to merchant seamen. The gardens are positioned on the site of the execution of many high-status prisoners. * Wakefield Gardens * Tower Gardens

Tower of London

* Tower Moat *

Tower Green Tower Green is a space within the Tower of London, a royal castle in London, where two English people, English Queen consort, Queens consort and several other British nobility, British nobles were Capital punishment, executed by Decapitation, b ...

. Another site of several high-status executions.

Tower Beach

The Tower Beach was established in 1934, on the riverfront between Tower Dock and Tower Bridge, to give local East Enders a recreational resource. Intended to last in perpetuity, the beach closed in 1971 due to pollution concerns.

Notable structures

Tower Subway The Tower Subway is a tunnel beneath the River Thames in central London, between Tower Hill on the north bank of the river and Vine Lane (off Tooley Street) on the south. In 1869 a circular tunnel was dug through the London clay using a cast ir ...

Notable people

As well as many well-known members of the Tower of London community, the Liberties have also been home to: * Admiral William Penn lived in the area, and his son

William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer, religious thinker, and influential Quakers, Quaker who founded the Province of Pennsylvania during the British colonization of the Americas, British colonial era. An advocate of democracy and religi ...

, the founder of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

was born in the Liberty. Their residence was "on the east side, within a court adjoining to London Wall". *

Tubby Clayton Philip Thomas Byard Clayton (12 December 1885 – 16 December 1972), known as "Tubby" Clayton, was an Anglican clergyman and the founder of Toc H. Life and career Philip Clayton was born in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, to English pa ...

, Anglican clergyman and founder of

Toc H Toc H (also TH) is a registered charity and an international Christian movement. The name is an abbreviation for Talbot House, "Toc" signifying the letter T in the Royal Corps of Signals#History, signals spelling alphabet#History, spelling alpha ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Map of the Tower Liberties, 1754
British Museum, Crace Collection of Maps

East of London Family History Society
The All Hallows and Tower Beating the Bounds
Calendar Customs: A Guide to British Calendar Customs and Local Traditions History of local government in Middlesex History of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Liberties of London Tower of London