SAINT MARY, BATTERSEA: BATTERSEA CHURCH ROAD, WANDSWORTH

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0074 P70/MRY2
Held at	: London Metropolitan Archives   Click here to find out how to view this collection at https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lma ›
Full title	: SAINT MARY, BATTERSEA: BATTERSEA CHURCH ROAD, WANDSWORTH
Date(s)	: 1559 -1991
Level of description	: Collection
Extent	: 7.78 linear metres (124 volumes).
Name of creator(s)	: Parish of St Mary, Battersea | Church of England

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

The Grade 1 Listed church building of Saint Mary, Battersea dates from 1777. The successful preservation of an almost complete series of registers from Saint Mary's since 1559 reflects the long and ongoing history of this 'ancient' London parish. The manor of Battersea was under the ownership of Westminster Abbey from the eleventh century until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540. The manor church therefore enjoyed an unbroken succession of vicars during that period, as it has to the present day. The development of Battersea as a residential area during the eighteenth century was the impetus behind the building of the current church, to designs by Joseph Dixon. As the population of the area rose it became necessary to found several more churches, and the parish was divided into smaller districts. This began in 1853 with the church of Saint George, Nine Elms. J.M.W. Turner, William Curtis, Benedict Arnold and William Blake have all had associations with Saint Mary's, the latter being married there, to Catherine Butcher, in 1782.

Caius Mission Church and Settlement was a joint initiative between Saint Mary's and Caius College founded on the principles of 'social settlements'. This late nineteenth century movement, in which many of the old universities were involved, sought to bring about social reform through the educational and cultural enrichment of poorer urban area. Caius College Mission continues to operate as a community education initiative.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Records of the parish of Saint Mary, Battersea, including registers of baptisms, marriages, burials and banns of marriages; church service registers; preacher's books; correspondence, specifications and other papers relating to church building restoration and maintenance; electoral roll; financial accounts and fee books; papers of parish charities, schools and societies; parish magazines; year books; orders of service and guide books.

Three baptism registers from Caius College Mission have also been deposited. Although not yet catalogued, a Brief Book (1658-1778) is also available for consultation on self service microfilm X055/006.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

Records arranged in sections: Parish Registers; Church Services/Work of Clergy; Church Buildings; Parish Administration; Parish Finance; Parish Organisations; and Printed Material.

Conditions governing access:

Microfilm copies of selected registers are available for self-service consultation in the reference room. See catalogue list for film numbers. Users may encounter certain problems with these films, including poor image quality and inaccurate information on the film markers. New films of the entire series of registers are currently being prepared to rectify these problems.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copyright for these records rests with the depositor.

Finding aids:

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Records deposited in February 2004, with a further accession in December 2005.

Allied Materials

Related material:

Call numbers for associated parishes: Saint George - P70/GEO, Saint Phillip - P70/PHI, Christ Church - P70/CTC, Saint John - P70/JN, Saint Saviour - 970/SAV.

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:

Rules or conventions:
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
March to April 2010.