Spitalfields, Middlesex Genealogy

England   Middlesex   Middlesex Parishes   Spitalfields

Parish History
'SPITALFIELDS Christchurch, a parish, in the union of Whitechapel, Tower division of the hundred of Ossulstone, County of Middlesex. The parish was originally a hamlet in Stepney, from which it was separated by act of parliament in 1729. The church was built in 1729. Sir George Wheler's chapel, in Chapel Street, was built [in 1693] by that gentleman for the accommodation of his tenants, previously to the erection of the parochial church. It [was] a proprietary episcopal chapel [bought and paid for privately], now in the patronage of the Rev. Richard Tillard. In Spital-square is a church dedicated to St. Mary.

'There are places of worship for Independents, Wesleyans, and Calvinistic Methodists.' In addition, there were chapels for French Huguenots within the parish, although their respective worshipers had by the mid-19th Century mostly diminished having assimilated into the ranks of England's predominant religion. Due to their heavy weaving propensity and influence, however, in the local cloth and weaving industry was felt for centuries.

'Christ Church Spitalfields, the church of, is situated on the south side of Church Street, Spitalfields, directly facing the eastern end of Union Street, Bishopsgate Without. The district called Spitalfields derives its name from having been built upon the fields and grounds belonging to St Mary's Spital, and was formerly a hamlet in the parish of Stepney; but from the great increase of inhabitants, arising from the settlement of the persecuted French Protestants, after the revocation of the edict of Nantz[ sic], by Louis XIV, within its precincts, it was made, in the year 1723, a distinct parish under its present name.

'This church is one of the fifty new churches ordered to be built by act of parliament, in the reign of Queen Anne. It was began in 1723, by Nicholas Hawksmore, the favourite pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, and was finished in 1729. It is a substantial edifice, built of stone, with a lofty spire over a Doric portico... The interior is 111 feet in length, eighty-seven in breadth, and thirty-four in height.

'The church is made a rectory, but is not to be held in commendam; it is in the dioceses of London, in the county of Middlesex, but exempt from the jurisdiction of the archdeacon...'

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
To find the names of the neighbouring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Middlesex Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Poor Law Unions
Contributor: Add information about the pertinent poor law unions in the area.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain