Bromley St Leonard or Bromley by Bow, Middlesex

Historical Description

Bromley-St-Leonard or Bromley-by-Bow, a parish in Middlesex, on the river Lea, the Limehouse Out, and the North London and Eastern Counties railways, near Bow and Stratford stations, 3½ miles ENE of St Paul's, London. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Bow, London, E. It has numerous mills and factories, with a brewery and distillery, and many of the inhabitants are employed in the East and West India Docks. The limits include part of the City of London Workhouse and part of Tower Hamlets Cemetery. The parish comprises 8241 acres; population, 70,000. A Benedictine nunnery, dedicated to St Leonard, was founded at Bromley in the time of the Conqueror by William Bishop of London, and given at the dissolution to Sir Ralph Sadler. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of London; gross value, £400 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of London. The church belonged to the nunnery, and has Norman traces. The vicarages of St Michael and St Gabriel are separate benefices; net value of St Michael, £300; of St Gabriel, £213 with residence. St Michael's Church was built in 1866-68, and is in the Early English style. St Andrew's and St Gabriel's were built in 1869. There are also the rectory of All Hallows, Devon Road, and the vicarage of All Hallows, East India Docks, with St Frideswide, the latter having a net value of £300, and built in 1880. There are a Wesleyan and various other denominational chapels, almshouses, and some charities.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Bromley St Leonard or Bromley by Bow from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Bromley St. Leonard's (St. Mary))

Land and Property

A full transcript of the Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Middlesex is online.