Hornsey (parish)

Hornsey was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex. It was both a civil parish, used for administrative purposes, and an ecclesiastical parish of the Church of England.

Civil parish

Hornsey formed a medieval parish in the Ossulstone hundred of Middlesex. [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10071811&c_id=10001043 Vision of Britain] - Hornsey St Mary parish history] It stretched from Stroud Green in the south to Highgate in the west,Muswell Hill and Bounds Green in the north and Harringay in the east. [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10071811&c_id=10001043 Vision of Britain] - Hornsey St Mary parish ( [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/bound_map_page.jsp?first=true&u_id=10071811&c_id=10001043 historic map] )] The vestry of the civil parish was entrusted with various administrative functions from the 17th century. In 1837 it became a part of the Poor Law Union of Edmonton.

In 1865, the southern part of the parish, consisting of the Brownswood Park area and two detached pieces surrounded by the parishes of Hackney and Stoke Newington adopted the Local Government Act 1858, and formed the South Hornsey Local Board. The remainder of the parish formed the Hornsey Local Board in 1867.

The Local Government Act 1894 reconstituted the two local board districts as urban districts, and divided the parish into the two civil parishes of Hornsey and South Hornsey.

In 1899 the South Hornsey urban district and civil parish were absorbed by the Metroplitan Boroughs of Stoke Newington and Islington in the County of London. At the same time, Alexandra Park, a detached part of the parish of Clerkenwell was added to Hornsey.

The urban district and civil parish of Hornsey remained in Middlesex, being incorporated as a the Municipal Borough of Hornsey in 1903. The civil parish was abolished when the borough became part of the London Borough of Haringey in 1965.

Ecclesiastical parish

The ancient parish, dedicated to St Mary, was in the Diocese of London. From 1862, as the population of Hornsey increased, a number of new parishes were formed:
* Hornsey, Christ Church, Crouch End in 1862
* Hornsey, Holy Innocents in 1877
* Hornsey, St Peter in 1898
* Hornsey, St Luke in 1903
* Hornsey St George in 1910

The parishes of Hornsey Rise and Hornsey Road were formed in 1865 and 1866 respectively. The two parishes were formed out of part of the area of the ancient parish of Islington.

In addition, as the population of neighbouring areas increased, parts of Hornsey parish were included in new parishes:
* Highgate in 1834
* Muswell Hill, St James in 1843
* Stoke Newington, St Matthias in 1849
* Highgate, All Saints in 1874
* Brownswood Park in 1875 was formed from the southern part of the parish
* Stroud Green in 1881
* Harringay in 1892

References

External links

* Hornsey and Highgate [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22515]
* Local Government in Hornsey [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22525]
* View of Hornsey Church [http://www.londonancestor.com/views/vc-hornsey.htm]
* Hornsey Churches [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22527]
* [http://hornseyhistorical.awardspace.com/index.html Hornsey Historical Society]

Sources

* "Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England", Vol.1, Frederic Youngs, London, 1979