Hackney was a parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 in the historic

Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and shires...

 county of Middlesex

Middlesex

Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...

. The parish church of St John-at-Hackney

Church of St John-at-Hackney

The Church of St John at Hackney is situated in the London Borough of Hackney. It was built in 1792, in an open field, north east of Hackney's medieval parish church, of which only St Augustine's Tower remains...

 was built in 1789, replacing the nearby former 16th century parish church dedicated to St Augustine

Augustine of Canterbury

Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597...

 (pulled down in 1798). The original tower

St Augustine's Tower Hackney

St Augustine's Tower stands in St John's Church Gardens, in Hackney Central, in the London Borough of Hackney, just off the southern end of the Narrow Way . It is all that remains of the early 16th century parish church of Hackney of St Augustine, which replaced the 13th century medieval church...

 of that church was retained to hold the bells until the new church could be strengthened; the bells were finally removed to the new St John's in 1854. See details of other, more modern, churches within the original parish boundaries below.

Ancient parish

The vestry

Vestry

A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....

 of the parish, in common with all parishes in England, was entrusted with various administrative functions from the 17th century. The parish vestry administered the Poor Law until 1837, it became part of the Poor Law Union

Poor Law Union

A Poor Law Union was a unit used for local government in the United Kingdom from the 19th century. The administration of the Poor Law was the responsibility of parishes, which varied wildly in their size, populations, financial resources, rateable values and requirements...

 of Hackney. The ecclesiastical and civil roles of the parish increasingly diverged, and by the early nineteenth century they covered different areas.

Civil parish

A distinct civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

 dates from 1855, with the incorporation of The Vestry of the Parish of Hackney in the County of Middlesex by section 42 of the Metropolis Management Act

Metropolis Management Act 1855

The Metropolis Management Act 1855 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the Metropolitan Board of Works, a London-wide body to co-ordinate the construction of the city's infrastructure. The Act also created a second tier of local government consisting of parish vestries...

. With Stoke Newington

Stoke Newington

Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...

 it formed part of the Hackney District, governed by the Hackney District Board of Works, within the area of the Metropolitan Board of Works

Metropolitan Board of Works

The Metropolitan Board of Works was the principal instrument of London-wide government from 1855 until the establishment of the London County Council in 1889. Its principal responsibility was to provide infrastructure to cope with London's rapid growth, which it successfully accomplished. The MBW...

. In 1894, the district and board were dissolved, with the Hackney vestry taking on its duties within the parish.

In 1889 Hackney was included in the new County of London

County of London

The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...

, and in 1900 the vestry was dissolved with the parish becoming the Metropolitan Borough of Hackney

Metropolitan Borough of Hackney

The Metropolitan Borough of Hackney was a Metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965. Its area became part of the London Borough of Hackney.-Formation and boundaries:...

. The civil parish was abolished when the borough became part of the London Borough of Hackney

London Borough of Hackney

The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....

 in 1965.

The boundaries of the civil parish were identical to the ancient parish, and it covered 3289 acres (13.3 km²). The populations recorded in National Censuses were:

Hackney St John's Vestry 1801-1899

Year	1801	1811	1821	1831	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901
Population	12,730	16,771	22,494	31,047	37,771	53,589	76,687	115,110	163,681	198,606	219,272

Ecclesiastical parish subdivided

The ancient parish, dedicated to St John the Baptist, was in the Diocese of London

Diocese of London

The Anglican Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north and west. The present diocese covers and 17 London boroughs, covering most of Greater...

. From 1825, as the population of Hackney increased, a number of new ecclesiastical parishes were carved out of the ancient parish. This did not affect the local government arrangements:

• South Hackney
  South Hackney
  South Hackney is a district in the London Borough of Hackney situated north east of Charing Cross.It is immediately north of Victoria Park and the area centred on Victoria Park Road and Lauriston Road...
  
   and West Hackney in 1825 (the remainder now being known as Hackney St. John). Each of these parishes was subsequently subdivided.
• Stamford Hill
  Stamford Hill
  Stamford Hill is a place in the north of the London Borough of Hackney, England, near the border with Haringey. It is home to Europe's largest Hasidic Jewish and Adeni Jewish community.Stamford Hill is NNE of Charing Cross.-History:...
  
   in 1828
• Dalston
  Dalston
  Dalston is a district of north-east London, England, located in the London Borough of Hackney. It is situated northeast of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
  
   in 1844
• Homerton
  Homerton
  Homerton is a place in the London Borough of Hackney. It is bordered to the west by Hackney Central, to the north by Lower Clapton, in the east by Hackney Wick, Leyton and by South Hackney to the south.-Origins:...
  
   in 1846
• Upper
  Upper Clapton
  Upper Clapton is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is bounded by the Hackney districts of Stamford Hill to the west, Lower Clapton and Lea Bridge to the south and the Haringey district of South Tottenham to the north...
  
   and Lower Clapton
  Lower Clapton
  Lower Clapton is a district within the London Borough of Hackney.It is immediately adjacent to central Hackney - bounded, roughly, by the western side of Hackney Downs , the Lea Valley , Clifden Road and the Lea Bridge Road...
  
   in 1855
• Clapton Park in 1873

External links

• Hackney Local Government
• Description of Hackney Parish in 1839
• Description of Hackney Parish in 1868
• Hackney Churches

Sources

• Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol.1, Frederic Youngs, London, 1979