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Shoreditch

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“HOXTON, a district parish in the parish of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, Tower division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county Middlesex, half a mile N.E. of London, of which it forms a populous suburb. It is mentioned in Domesday Survey as Hocheston, and occupies the space extending from the old Roman road, now called Old Street-road, to the Regent's canal, on the banks of which are numerous lime and coal wharfs. This place, formerly a hamlet in the parish of St. Leonard's, has within the last half century become an extensive and populous district, and was constituted a parish by Act of Parliament in 1830.

It is divided into the Old and New towns, the former containing some old houses, as Balmes's or Whitmore, once surrounded by a moat, and subsequently converted into a private lunatic asylum; the latter entirely modern. It is well paved, lighted with gas and supplied with water. The district is within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, and the 'N' division of the Metropolitan police have their station here. The livings are all perpetual curacies in the diocese of London, varying in value from £500 to £250. The church dedicated to St. John the Baptist is an edifice of light brick, with a steeple consisting of successive stages of campanile turrets crowned with a dome. It was erected in 1826 by grant from the parliamentary commissioners, at an expense of £13,000. Christ Church was erected in 1839, and stands in the New North-road. Holy Trinity church is modern. There are places of worship for Independents, Wesleyan and New Connexion Methodists, and a synagogue attached to the ancient cemetery of the Jews. There are National and Infant schools in the several districts, and numerous almshouses. Aske's almshouses and school, under the Haberdashers' Company have an income of £3,550. The buildings were erected in 1825, and form a quadrangle, with a chapel and bronze of the founder in the centre. Fuller's almshouses for 28 aged women were founded and endowed in 1795; Westby's almshouses for 10 aged women in 1749; the Viscountess Lumley's almshouses for 6 aged persons were rebuilt in 1822; there are also Badger's and Baremere's almshouses.”

from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

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Church Directories

Parishes in Shoreditch Rural Deanery in 1903

Outline map of Parishes in 1903

Anglican churches in Shoreditch in 1890/1905 - we have a list prepared by John Henley. It has some information on records, whether churches are still open, and where they are. The ancient parishes were split into many smaller ones as London grew.

St Mary Moorfields Catholic Church - substantial description of the founding, architecture and history of this church on the archived website.

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Church Records

Holywell Mount Chapel (Congregational) was on Chapel St and Curtain Rd, Shoreditch. Baptism registers 1783 to 1837 are at National Archives. Later baptism registers (1837-1854) are at London Metropolitan Archives.

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Description & Travel

Description(s) from The National Gazetteer (1868)]

"SHOREDITCH, a parish and populous metropolitan district, in the Tower division of Ossulstone hundred and parliamentary borough of the Tower Hamlets, county Middlesex, 1½ mile N.E. of St. Paul's cathedral. It is the terminus of the Great Eastern railway, which terminus is soon to be moved to Liverpool-street, City. The Metropolitan railway has a station opposite the parish church. This parish, which is extensive, lies for the most part between the Regent's canal, Hackney-road, Finsbury Circus, and the City-road. It comprises Hoxton Old and New Town, Holywell, Moorfields, Church-End, and Haggerston, covering 620 acres, and containing a population in 1861 of 129,364. " (There is more of this description).

"EAST HAGGERSTONE, (and West Haggerstone) a district parish in the parish of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, Tower division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county Middlesex, 2 miles N.E. of St. Paul's Cathedral. It is mentioned in Domesday Book under the name of Hergotstane, when it belonged to the Gernons. In this district, which adjoins the Regent's canal, are many wharves, factories, and gasworks. There are several chemical works on an extensive scale, manufactories for japanned leather, floor-cloth, hearth-rugs, and bone ashes, also lime-works, tile-kilns, and dye-houses. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of London, value £450, in the patronage of the archdeacon. The church, which is dedicated to St. Mary, was erected in 1827, at an expense of £15,000, defrayed by a grant from the parliamentary commissioners. The Independents, Wesleyans, and other Dissenting bodies, have places of worship. There are six almshouses for members of the Company of Goldsmiths, founded in 1705, in Goldsmiths-place; fourteen others, with a chapel in the centre, for members of the Company of Ironmongers, in Kingsland-road; and near them others for the Companies of Drapers and Framework Knitters. Halley was born here in 1656.

"HOLYWELL (SHOREDITCH), a district in the parish of Shoreditch St. Leonard, London, in the Tower division of Ossulstone hundred, county Middlesex so named from a well in Holywell-street, near the Benedictine nunnery of St. John Baptist."

"HOXTON, a district parish in the parish of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, Tower division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county Middlesex, half a mile N.E. of London, of which it forms a populous suburb. It is mentioned in Domesday Survey as Hocheston, and occupies the space extending from the old Roman road, now called Old Street-road, to the Regent's canal, on the banks of which are numerous lime and coal wharfs. This place, formerly a hamlet in the parish of St. Leonard's, has within the last half century become an extensive and populous district, and was constituted a parish by Act of Parliament in 1830. " (There is more of this description).

"MOORFIELDS, a district in the parish of St. Leonard's, Shoreditch, Tower division of Ossulstone hundred, county Middlesex, 1½ mile N.E. of St. Paul's, London. It is a populous suburban district of London, forming part of the borough of the Tower Hamlets, and lies between the Regent's canal, the Hackney-road, and Finsbury-circus. It is chiefly inhabited by silk weavers, drug makers, general dealers, and other industrial classes. See Shoreditch.

[Moorfields was just outside the city wall, Moorgate led from it into the city.]

Description(s) from "The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland" (1868), transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003; intended for personal use only, so please respect the conditions of use.

You can see pictures of Shoreditch which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference TQ340818 (Lat/Lon: 51.519233, -0.070073), Shoreditch which are provided by:

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Occupations

Len Arthur's blog post Fashion and work: 150 years of a Shoreditch family discusses the Shoreditch fashion industry & Wager family history 1820-1930.