St George Hanover Square, Middlesex Genealogy

Guide to St George Hanover Square, Middlesex ancestry, family history, and genealogy: Parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Parish History
St George's, Hanover Square, is an Anglican church in central London, built in the early 18th century. The land on which the church stands was donated by General William Steuart, who laid the first stone in 1721. A civil parish of St George Hanover Square, and an ecclesiastical parish, were created in 1724 from part of the ancient parish of St Martin in the Fields.

The boundaries of the ecclesiastical parish were adjusted in 1830, 1835 and 1865 when other parishes were carved out of it (see a list of Chapels of Ease and District Churches... within St George Hanover Square parish boundaries, below). The ecclesiastical parish still exists today and forms part of the Deanery of Westminster St Margaret in the Diocese of London (see a "List of Chapels of Ease"... under "Parish History" below with approximately 25 chapels of ease which subdivided this "fashionable" parish).

Parish History
'St George Hanover Square, the church of, is situated on the east side of Great George Street and the corner of Maddox Street. It was built by Gibbs, in 1724, as one of fifty new churches voted by parliament, and was dedicated, in compliment to the reigning King, to St George. It has a plain substantial body, with an elegant portco of the Corinthian order, and a handsome bell tower. The ground upon which this church stands was given by Lieutenant-General William Stewart, who also bequeathed £4,000 towards erecting and endowing a charity school.

'The parish was taken from that of St Martin in the Fields, and is a rectory in the patronage of the Bishop of London, is in the county of Middlesex, in the diocese of London and in the Archdeaconry of Middlesex.

St George Hanover Square was considered to be, from the time of its construction, one of the illustrious parishes in the region. Well over a hundred thousand couples, young and old, flocked to its altars in order to be married in what was considered to be one of the more 'fashionable' churches (near St James Palace), in all of Greater London.

Chapels of Ease and District Churches attached to and subdividing the Parish (boundary) of St George Hanover Square

Associated with St George Hanover Square (est. 1725), were its numerous chapelries and later district churches built within its ecclesiastical boundary, some of which whose (chapel) registers are of ancient derivation nearly predating those of St George's. If vital events are not found in the parish registers of St George Hanover Square itself, then search the parish/chapel registers of all those of its attached chapels listed below as may apply:


 * All Saints, Grosvenor Road, Pimlico. Chapel-of-Ease to St Gabriel Warwick Square (1863); closed in 1967.
 * Belgrave Chapel - see St John Belgrave Square below
 * Berkeley Chapel, John Street, Berkeley Square, Mayfair [by at least 1810; became St Saviour's in 1864]. Proprietary (Episcopal) Chapel - became: St. Mary, Bourdon Street. Chapel-of-Ease to St.Geo.Han.Sq.[in 1882]. Closed 1939.
 * Charlotte Chapel [1766] (See under "Pimlico" in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales at Vision of Britain)
 * Christ Church, Down Street, Mayfair [1865]
 * Curzon Chapel, Curzon Street, Mayfair. Proprietary (Episcopal) Chapel. Successor to the Mayfair Chapel, the marriage shop of the infamous Dr. Keith who defied church and state authority, with his assistants conducting 7,000-plus clandestine marriages c.1730 until activities were stopped by the Lord Hardwicke Marriage Act of 1753. The registers were kept at the mother parish church (St.George's Hanover Square), and the Bishop's Transcripts to the diocesan registry. Ceased operation by 1894.
 * Eaton Chapel, Eaton Terrace. Proprietary (Episcopal) Chapel. [1836?] closed about 1901
 * Ebury Chapel [a proprietary Episcopal chapel] of ease [prior to 1870]
 * Grosvenor Chapel, South Audley Street [1730] - Still open
 * Hanover Church, Regent Street [1823] became district church, then replaced by: St. Anselm, Davies Street, Berkeley Square. [Separate parish 1899?] - closed 1938, Parish united to Hanover Square and St. Mark, North Audley Street. Is now gone.
 * St Barnabas, Church Street, Pimlico [1850] Later became a separate parish - Still open
 * St John's Chapel, Pimlico Road. Chapel-of-Ease to above.
 * St Gabriel, Warwick Square, Pimlico - 1852
 * St George's Chapel, Albermarle Street. Proprietary (Episcopal) Chapel [1740?] Licensed for marriages 1899-1909. Registers survive 1888-1909.
 * St John, Belgrave Square. Proprietary Chapel [by 1870]. Possibly the same as: Belgrave Chapel Halkin Street [1898-1910].
 * St John the Evangelist, Wilton Road Chapel-of-Ease to above [1874?] Closed 1942?
 * St Mark, North Audley Street [1828]. Parish united to St.George Hanover Square 1968. Church closed c.1980. leased to Commonwealth Church 1995.
 * St Mary, Graham Street [now Bourne Street] [1909] Still open
 * St Michael, Chester Square [1846] - Still open
 * St Philip, Buckingham Palace Road [1888]. Separate parish 1890. Closed 19?? [war damage??] United with previous 1953.
 * St Paul, Wilton Place [Knightsbridge] [1843] - Still open
 * St Peter, Eaton Square [1827] - Still open
 * St Peter, Buckingham Gate/Palace Street Chapel-of-Ease [1822?] closed 1921?
 * St Saviour's (for Deaf and Dumb) Chapel, Oxford Street
 * St Saviour, St George's Square, Pimlico. [1864] still open.
 * Trinity Chapel, Conduit Street [1691] chapel of ease, closed 1875.

Taken from:

1. Genuki.org.uk at http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/genuki/MDX/Westminster/churches.htm

2. British History Online at: www.British-History.ac.uk

Church records
St George Hanover Square parish registers of christenings, marriages and burials are available online for the following years:

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


 * Records are also available at the London Metropolitan Archives.

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.

1634-1900 Rate Books

 * Westminster Rate Books at findmypast - (£).

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
The Westminster, Poor Law and Parish Administration collection at findmypast includes:


 * 1731-1911 - St George Hanover Square, Workhouses
 * 1885-1900 - St George Hanover Square, Valuations

Parish History
'St George Hanover Square, the church of, is situated on the east side of Great George Street and the corner of Maddox Street. It was built by Gibbs, in 1724, as one of fifty new churches voted by parliament, and was dedicated, in compliment to the reigning King, to St George. It has a plain substantial body, with an elegant portco of the Corinthian order, and a handsome bell tower. The ground upon which this church stands was given by Lieutenant-General William Stewart, who also bequeathed £4,000 towards erecting and endowing a charity school.

'The parish was taken from that of St Martin in the Fields, and is a rectory in the patronage of the Bishop of London, is in the county of Middlesex, in the diocese of London and in the Archdeaconry of Middlesex.

St George Hanover Square was considered to be, from the time of its construction, one of the illustrious parishes in the region. Well over a hundred thousand couples, young and old, flocked to its altars in order to be married in what was considered to be one of the more 'fashionable' churches (near St James Palace), in all of Greater London.

1848 parish description St. George, Hanover Square is a parish, in the city and liberty of Westminster. The patron is the Bishop. Grosvenor Square is a parish, in the city and liberty of Westminster. The patron is the Rector and Churchwardens of St. George’s.

Hanover District Chapel, Regent St. is a parish, in the city and liberty of Westminster. The patron is the Rector of St. George’s. St. Mark’s District Chapel is a parish, in the city and liberty of Westminster. The patron is the Rector of St. George’s.

Chapels of Ease and District Churches attached to and subdividing the Parish (boundary) of St George Hanover Square

Associated with St George Hanover Square (est. 1725), were its numerous chapelries and later district churches built within its ecclesiastical boundary, some of which whose (chapel) registers are of ancient derivation nearly predating those of St George's, and of which are given due consideration below:


 * All Saints, Grosvenor Road, Pimlico. Chapel-of-Ease to St Gabriel Warwick Square (1863); closed in 1967.
 * Belgrave Chapel - see St John Belgrave Square below
 * Berkeley Chapel, John Street, Berkeley Square, Mayfair [by at least 1810; became St Saviour's in 1864]. Proprietary (Episcopal) Chapel - became: St. Mary, Bourdon Street. Chapel-of-Ease to St.Geo.Han.Sq.[in 1882]. Closed 1939.
 * Charlotte Chapel [1766] (See under "Pimlico" in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales at Vision of Britain)
 * Christ Church, Down Street, Mayfair [1865]
 * Curzon Chapel, Curzon Street, Mayfair. Proprietary (Episcopal) Chapel. Successor to the Mayfair Chapel, the marriage shop of the infamous Dr. Keith who defied church and state authority, with his assistants conducting 7,000-plus clandestine marriages c.1730 until activities were stopped by the Lord Hardwicke Marriage Act of 1753. The registers were kept at the mother parish church (St.George's Hanover Square), and the Bishop's Transcripts to the diocesan registry. Ceased operation by 1894.
 * Eaton Chapel, Eaton Terrace. Proprietary (Episcopal) Chapel. [1836?] closed about 1901
 * Ebury Chapel [a proprietary Episcopal chapel] of ease [prior to 1870]
 * Grosvenor Chapel, South Audley Street [1730] - Still open
 * Hanover Church, Regent Street [1823] became district church, then replaced by: St. Anselm, Davies Street, Berkeley Square. [Separate parish 1899?] - closed 1938, Parish united to Hanover Square and St. Mark, North Audley Street. Is now gone.
 * St Barnabas, Church Street, Pimlico [1850] Later became a separate parish - Still open
 * St John's Chapel, Pimlico Road. Chapel-of-Ease to above.
 * St Gabriel, Warwick Square, Pimlico [1852] - Still open
 * St George's Chapel, Albermarle Street. Proprietary (Episcopal) Chapel [1740?] Licensed for marriages 1899-1909. Registers survive 1888-1909.
 * St John, Belgrave Square. Proprietary Chapel [by 1870]. Possibly the same as: Belgrave Chapel Halkin Street [1898-1910].
 * St John the Evangelist, Wilton Road Chapel-of-Ease to above [1874?] Closed 1942?
 * St Mark, North Audley Street [1828]. Parish united to St.George Hanover Square 1968. Church closed c.1980. leased to Commonwealth Church 1995.
 * St Mary, Graham Street [now Bourne Street] [1909] Still open
 * St Michael, Chester Square [1846] - Still open
 * St Philip, Buckingham Palace Road [1888]. Separate parish 1890. Closed 19?? [war damage??] United with previous 1953.
 * St Paul, Wilton Place [Knightsbridge] [1843] - Still open
 * St Peter, Eaton Square [1827] - Still open
 * St Peter, Buckingham Gate/Palace Street Chapel-of-Ease [1822?] closed 1921?
 * St Saviour's (for Deaf and Dumb) Chapel, Oxford Street
 * St Saviour, St George's Square, Pimlico. [1864] still open.
 * Trinity Chapel, Conduit Street [1691] chapel of ease, closed 1875.

Taken from:

1. Genuki.org.uk at http://homepages.gold.ac.uk/genuki/MDX/Westminster/churches.htm

2. British History Online at: www.British-History.ac.uk

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

Websites

 * Sketch of St. George Hanover Square Parish Church, courtesy: London Ancestor
 * St George Hanover Square on GENUKI