Lewisham, Kent
Historical Description
Lewisham, a town, a parish, and a parliamentary division of the county of London, in Kent. The town stands on the river Ravensbourne, with a station on the L.C. & D.R., 1 mile S of Greenwich, and 5 miles SE by S of London; was anciently called Levesham, signifying the " dwelling among the meadows;" is a suburb of London, and within the county of London. It consists chiefly of one street about a mile long, extending N and S, and is supplied with water by the Kent Waterworks Company. The civil parish contains also the hamlet of Southend, the places called Perry Hill, Catford Bridge, Forest Hill, Sydenham, half of Brockley, and parts of Blackheath. Area of civil parish, 5773 acres; population in 1891 was 72,272. In 1895 it was estimated to have increased to over 90,000. The manor was given by Eithruda, niece of King Alfred, to the Abbey of St Peter at Ghent; had a Benedictine priory, a cell to Ghent Abbey; went in the time of Henry V. to the Carthusian priory of Sheen; passed after the dissolution through various hands, eventually to the Legges; and belongs now to the Earl of Dartmouth, and gives him the title of Viscount. There are still some villas, but a large working-class population has flowed in. The living of St Mary the Virgin (population, 12,300) is a vicarage, net value, £850 with residence; of St Mark (4812), gross value, £500; St Stephen, with Church of Transfiguration (7695), a vicarage, net value, £450; All Saints, Blackheath (2255), a donative curacy, net value, £400; the Ascension Blackheath (3139), a perpetual curacy, gross value, £425 St George's, Perry Hill (4000), a vicarage, net value, £360 St Laurence, Catford (4775), a vicarage, gross value, £290 St Cyprian's, Brockley (5500), a curacy-in-charge, value £290; and St Swithin, Hithergreen (5000), a vicarage, gross value, £200. St Mary's Church was rebuilt in 1774; was damaged by fire in 1830, but has been restored; and has a Corinthian portico on the S side, and a square tower at the W end; in 1882 a new chancel was built, and the whole building was enlarged and restored. St Stephen's Church was built in 1865, after designs by Sir G. G. Scott, at a cost of £12,000; and is in the First Pointed style, modified by a French colouring. St Mark's Church was founded in 1869, and is in the Decorated English style. The churches of St Laurence and St Swithin's (partially) have been built by the Lewisham Church Extension Society, which also has in hand the building of St Cypriaa's, Brockley. There are Congregational, Baptist, and Wesleyan chapels. A spacious Congregational chapel in the Second Pointed style, with tower and spire, was built in 1868. A large well-endowed boys' school (St Dunstan's College) was built at Catford in 1890, and the Lewisham Grammar School for Girls in 1891. All Saints Boys' Orphanage was opened in 1886, and has accommodation for 120 boys. There are several almshouses and charities. Bricks are made, and brewing is carried on. Bishop Duppa, who wrote part of " Eikon Basilike," was a native; and Dr Stanhope the commentator was vicar, as also the Honourable Augustus Legge, D.D., bishop of Lichfield.
Lewisham Parliamentary Division of London, in Kent, was formed under the Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885, and returns one member to the House of Commons. Population, 88,653. The division includes Eltham, Lee, Lewisham, and Sydenham.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | Kent | |
Ecclesiastical parish | Lewisham St. Mary | |
Hundred | Blackheath | |
Lathe | Sutton-at-Hone | |
Poor Law union | Lewisham |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Lewisham from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Lewisham (St. Mary))
Maps
Online maps of Lewisham are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Kent newspapers online:
- Kent & Sussex Courier
- Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald
- Dover Express
- Kentish Gazette
- Folkestone, Hythe, Sandgate & Cheriton Herald
- Kentish Chronicle
- Maidstone Telegraph
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Kent, 1619 is available on the Heraldry page, as is also The Visitation of Kent, 1663-68.