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England London Boroughs  Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Guide to The London Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, history, family history, and genealogy parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.



History
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) is an inner London borough with royal status. It is the smallest borough in London and the second smallest district in England; it is one of the most densely populated administrative regions in the United Kingdom. It includes affluent areas such as Notting Hill, Central Kensington, South Kensington, Chelsea, and Knightsbridge. It was cobbled together from the original areas of Kensington and Chelsea by the UK government in 1965, with no regard to the research required for Family History. They were both part of the ancient county of Middlesex, which was dissolved by the Government at the same time (1965). Researchers would be wise to refer to the records of Middlesex for earlier data.

The history will be continued in 2 parts, Kensington and Chelsea.

The manor of Kensington, Middlesex, was granted by William I to Geoffrey de Montbray or Mowbray, bishop of Coutances, one of his inner circle of advisors and one of the wealthiest men in post-Conquest England. He in turn granted the tenancy of Kensington to his vassal Aubrey de Vere I, who was holding the manor in 1086, according to Domesday Book. The bishop's heir, Robert de Mowbray, rebelled against William Rufus and his vast barony was declared forfeit. Aubrey de Vere I had his tenure converted to a tenancy in-chief, holding Kensington after 1095 directly of the crown. He granted land and church there to Abingdon Abbey at the deathbed request of his young eldest son, Geoffrey. As the Veres became the earls of Oxford, their estate at Kensington came to be known as Earls Court, while the Abingdon lands were called Abbots Kensington and the church St Mary Abbots.

The word Chelsea (also formerly Chelceth, Chelchith, or Chelsey, originates from the Old English term for "landing place [on the river] for chalk or limestone" (Cealc-hyð: chalk-wharf, in Anglo-Saxon). Chelsea hosted the Synod of Chelsea in 787 AD. The first record of the Manor of Chelsea precedes the Domesday Book and records the fact that Thurstan, governor of the King's Palace during the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042–1066), gave the land to the Abbot and Convent of Westminster. Abbot Gervace subsequently assigned the manor to his mother, and it passed into private ownership. By 1086 the Domesday Book records that Chelsea was in the hundred of Ossulstone in Middlesex, with Edward of Salisbury as tenant-in-chief.

King Henry VIII acquired the manor of Chelsea from Lord Sandys in 1536; Chelsea Manor Street is still extant. Two of King Henry's wives, Catherine Parr and Anne of Cleves, lived in the Manor House; Princess Elizabeth – the future Queen Elizabeth I – resided there; and Thomas More lived more or less next door at Beaufort House. In 1609 James I established a theological college, "King James's College at Chelsey" on the site of the future Chelsea Royal Hospital, which Charles II founded in 1682.

By 1694, Chelsea – always a popular location for the wealthy, and once described as "a village of palaces" – had a population of 3,000. Even so, Chelsea remained rural and served London to the east as a market garden, a trade that continued until the 19th-century development boom which caused the final absorption of the district into the metropolis. The street crossing that was known as Little Chelsea, Park Walk, linked Fulham Road to King's Road and continued to the Thames and local ferry down Lover's Lane, renamed "Milmans Street" in the 18th century.

Chelsea once had a reputation as London's bohemian quarter, the haunt of artists, radicals, painters and poets. Little of this seems to survive now – the comfortable squares off King's Road are homes to, among others, investment bankers and film stars. The Chelsea Arts Club continues in situ; however, the Chelsea College of Art and Design, founded in 1895 as the Chelsea School of Art, moved from Manresa Road to Pimlico in 2005.

Chelsea shone again, brightly but briefly, in the 1960s Swinging London period and the early 1970s. The Swinging Sixties was defined on King's Road, which runs the length of the area. The Western end of Chelsea featured boutiques Granny Takes a Trip and The Sweet Shop, the latter of which sold medieval silk velvet caftans, tabards and floor cushions, with many of the cultural cognoscenti of the time being customers, including Keith Richards, Twiggy, and many others.

Cemeteries (Civil)
Gunnersbury Cemetery


 * 143 Gunnersbury Ave
 * London W3 8LE
 * Phone: +44 20 8992 2924

Brompton Cemetery


 * Fulham Rd
 * Kensington, London SW10 9UG
 * Phone: +44 20 7351 1689

Kensal Green Cemetery


 * Harrow Rd
 * London W10 4RA
 * Phone: +44 20 8969 0152

Parishes
St Helen's


 * St Helens Vicarage
 * St Helens Gardens, North Kensington, London W10 6LP
 * Phone: +44 20 8968 7807

St Stephen's


 * Gloucester Rd
 * Kensington, London SW7 4RL
 * Phone: +44 20 7370 3418

St Luke's


 * Redcliffe Gardens
 * Kensington, London SW10 9HF
 * Phone: +44 20 7370 0338

St Peter's


 * Kensington Park Rd
 * London W11 2PN
 * Phone: +44 20 7792 8227

St Phillip's


 * Earls Ct Rd
 * Kensington, London W8 6QH
 * Phone: +44 20 7938 1367

Christ Church


 * Christchurch St
 * Chelsea, London SW3 4AS, UK

St Paul's


 * 44 Onslow Square
 * Kensington, London SW7 3NX
 * Phone: +44 20 7052 0200

St Mary's


 * The Boltons
 * Kensington, London SW10 9TB
 * Phone: +44 20 7835 1440

St Paul's Knightsbridge


 * 32a Wilton Pl
 * Knightsbridge, London SW1X 8SH
 * Phone: +44 20 7201 9999

St Augustine's


 * 115a Queen's Gate
 * Kensington, London SW7 5LP
 * Phone: +44 20 7581 1877

St Simon Zelotes


 * 34 Milner St
 * Chelsea, London SW3 2QF
 * Phone: +44 20 7589 8999

St George's


 * 28 Aubrey Walk
 * Kensington, London W8 7JG
 * Phone: +44 20 3602 9873

St Gabriel's


 * Warwick Square
 * Pimlico, London SW1V 2AD
 * Phone: +44 20 7828 0185

Non Conformists
Other Christian and non Christian religious groups follow:


 * Baptists
 * Evangelical
 * Christ Church
 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
 * Church of Christ, Scientist
 * Evangelical >
 * Iglesia Ni Christo (Philippines)
 * Methodist
 * Pentecostal Church
 * Roman Catholic
 * Reedeemed Christian Church of God

Non Christian populations include:


 * Buddhist
 * Hindu
 * Jews
 * Muslims
 * Sikhs

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the UK government, from July 1837 to the present day. Previous to that date, records were primarily kept by local parishes, and by other ecclesiastical bodies.

The Borough has a confirmed Registry Office as follows:


 * Hornton St
 * Kensington, London W8 7NP
 * Phone: +44 20 7361 4100

Other searchable links follow:


 * Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea BMD records


 * ukbmd.org: Kensington District


 * ukbmd.org: Middlesex Parish Records


 * freebmd.org: Search for records

Local Histories

 * british history on line: Westminster


 * british history on line: Harrow and Pinner


 * London and Westminster city and suburbs by John Timbs


 * The Story of Parliament in the Palace of Westminster by John Field


 * Harrow through Tiime by Don Walter<br.

Maps and Gazetteers

 * mapit: Westminster City and Borough


 * google maps; City of Westminster


 * hidden london: Ebury


 * hidden london: Soho


 * hidden london: Covent GArden

Newspapers
The Westmisnter area of Greater London has been the core of the British Newspaper Industry, and all the National local papers are to be found here. These would include the following (not exclusive):


 * The Daily Mail


 * The Daily Mirror


 * The London Evening Post


 * The Financial Times


 * The Sun


 * The Daily Express

Occupations
Because Westminster is the primary seat of Government offices and Royalty in the UK, there is a tremendous opportunity for employment within the Government Ranks. As well as major and minor Governmental positions, there are rank upon rank of positions for both professional and clerical positions there.

In addition, the City of Westminster is home to a large number of companies, providing a breadth of positions within their ranks.. Many leading global corporations have chosen to establish their global or European headquarters in the City of Westminster. Mayfair and St. James's within the City of Westminster also have a large concentration of hedge fund and private equity funds. The West End is known as the Theatre District and is home to many of the leading performing arts businesses. Soho and its adjoining areas house a concentration of media and creative companies. Oxford Street is one of the leading shopping destinations in the world.[citation needed] The list of companies includes:

The Economist newspaper is headquartered at the Economist Building, St James's Street. BAE Systems has its head office in Westminster. Anglo American PLC has its head office in Westminster. BBC has its head office in the Broadcasting House. BP has its global headquarters in St. James's, Westminster. Houlihan Lokey, the international investment bank, has its London offices at 83 Pall Mall, London, Westminster. Pearson PLC and subsidiary Penguin Group: headquartered in a facility in Westminster. Rio Tinto Group, a multinational Australian-British company, has its UK head office in Westminster. Economist Group, publisher of The Economist and other materials, is headquartered in Westminster. Kingfisher plc has its head office in Paddington, Westminster. SABMiller has its head office in Westminster. British American Tobacco has its head office in the Globe House in the City of Westminster. Marks & Spencer has its head office in the Waterside House. Swire Group has its head office in the Swire House. Pret a Manger has its head office in Westminster. Rolls-Royce Group has its head office in Westminster. Global Infrastructure Partners has an office in Westminster. Google has an office in Westminster near Victoria Station. EasyGroup has its head office in Mayfair, City of Westminster. Gulf Oil International has its head office in Westminster. AstraZeneca has its head office in Westminster. Informa has its London office, including its Investor Relations and Media Center departments, in the Informa House. Petrofac possesses an office on Jermyn Street, near Oxford Circus. Northrop Grumman has its UK offices in Clareville House. Korean Air has its European head office in the City of Westminster. Iraqi Airways has its London sales office in the IKB House in City of Westminster. The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London is in Westminster.

Societies

 * London, Westminster, and Middlesex FHS


 * Westminster and Middlesex FHS

Archives

 * City of Westminster Archives


 * The National Archives: Paddington Workhouse


 * The National Archives: St Marylebone Parish


 * The National Archives: Middlesex County Council Archives

Web Sites

 * Westminster: wikipedia


 * City of Westminster: wikipedia


 * Paddington: wikipedia


 * Marylebone: wikipedia


 * Westminster City Council