Liberty of Westminster
Encyclopedia
The City and Liberty of Westminster was an independent liberty
Liberty (division)
Originating in the Middle Ages, a liberty was traditionally defined as an area in which regalian rights were revoked and where land was held by a mesne lord...

, located to the west of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...

 in the 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...

, England.

Following the dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...

 of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...

, a court of burgesses (the Westminster Court of Burgesses
Westminster Court of Burgesses
The Westminster Court of Burgesses was established by Act of Parliament in 1585, and abolished in 1901....

) was formed in 1585 to govern the Westminster area, previously under the Abbey's control. The City and Liberties of Westminster were further defined by Letters Patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...

 in 1604, and the court of burgesses and liberty continued in existence until 1900, and the creation of the Metropolitan Borough of Westminster
Metropolitan Borough of Westminster
The Metropolitan Borough of Westminster was a metropolitan borough in the County of London, England, from 1900 to 1965.-City Status:By royal charter dated 29 October 1900 the borough was granted the title City of Westminster. Westminster had originally been created a city and seat of the...

.
The court of burgesses (or court leet
Court leet
The court leet was a historical court baron of England and Wales and Ireland that exercised the "view of frankpledge" and its attendant police jurisdiction, which was normally restricted to the hundred courts.-History:...

) was headed by the High Steward of Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...

, who was usually a prominent national politician. He appointed a high bailiff
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...

, who served for life, and performed most of the functions usually exercised by a high sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...

 of a county. The city and liberty were divided into wards, each with a burgess and assistant burgess, this arrangement being adopted from the system then used in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...

. The burgesses chose two head burgesses, one for the city and one for the liberty, who ranked next after the high bailiff. A high constable was appointed by the court leet, under whom was a force of constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...

s. These were absorbed by the Metropolitan police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...

 in 1829.

Following the dissolution of the court of burgesses in 1900, a link has been retained to the old corporation, as the Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...

 of Westminster is ex officio Deputy High Steward of Westminster Abbey
High Steward of Westminster Abbey
The High Steward of Westminster Abbey is an honorary role at Westminster Abbey, London. He is appointed by the Dean and Chapter, and holds the office for life. Past holders have included Robert Cecil and Douglas Hurd The High Steward of Westminster Abbey is an honorary role at Westminster Abbey,...

.

The Liberty returned two members to parliament.

Constituent parishes and other areas

The borough and city of Westminster consisted of:
  • The combined parishes of Westminster St Margaret and St John
    Westminster St Margaret and St John
    Westminster St Margaret and St John were two parishes, which shared a joint vestry, in the City and Liberty of Westminster and the metropolitan area of London, England....

  • The extra-parochial Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter
    Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter
    The Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter was an extra-parochial area, and later civil parish, in the metropolitan area of London, England...



The liberty consisted of:
  • The parish of St Martin in the Fields
    St Martin in the Fields (parish)
    St Martin in the Fields was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It took its name from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields and was within the Liberty of Westminster. It included within its boundaries Buckingham Palace and St...

    ; later divided into St Anne Within the Liberty of Westminster
    St Anne Within the Liberty of Westminster
    St Anne Within the Liberty of Westminster, also known as St Anne Soho, was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England.It was created in 1687 from part of the ancient parish of St Martin in the Fields, and was within the Liberty of Westminster.It was grouped into the Strand District...

    , St George Hanover Square
    St George Hanover Square
    St George's, Hanover Square, is an Anglican church in central London, built in the early 18th century. The church was designed by John James and was constructed under a project to build fifty new churches around London . It is situated on Hanover Square, near Oxford Circus, in what is now...

    , St Paul Covent Garden
    St Paul Covent Garden
    St Paul Covent Garden was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was created in 1645 from part of the ancient parish of St Martin in the Fields, and was within the Liberty of Westminster....

     and St James
    Westminster St James
    Westminster St James was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It was also known as St James Picadilly named after St James's Church, Piccadilly....

  • The parish of St Clement Danes
    St Clement Danes (parish)
    St Clement Danes was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. Much of the former parish is now occupied by the site of the London School of Economics, in the extreme southeast of the City of Westminster....

     (part)
  • The parish of St Mary-le-Strand
    St Mary le Strand (parish)
    St Mary le Strand was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It took its name from the church of St Mary le Strand.It was counted as a separate parish until 1549 and again from 1723...

  • The Precinct of the Savoy
  • The extra-parochial St James's Palace
  • Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster
    Duchy of Lancaster
    The Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Cornwall. It is held in trust for the Sovereign, and is used to provide income for the use of the British monarch...

  • Privy Gardens (also known as Whitehall Gardens)
  • Verge of the Palaces of St James and Whitehall (also known as Whitehall
    Whitehall
    Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...

    )
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