Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras
St Pancras | |
---|---|
St Pancras Town Hall | |
St Pancras within the County of London | |
Population | |
• 1801 | 31,779 |
• 1961 | 124,855 |
History | |
• Abolished | 1965 |
• Succeeded by | London Borough of Camden |
Status | Civil parish (1937-1965) Metropolitan borough (1900-1965) |
Government | St Pancras Vestry St Pancras Borough Council (1900–1965) |
• Type | Vestry (16th century–1855) Incorporated vestry (1855–1900) Metropolitan borough council (1900–1965) |
• HQ | Vestry Hall, Pancras Road (1847-1937) Town Hall, Judd Street (1937-1965) |
• Motto | With Wisdom and Courage |
Coat of arms | |
Map of borough boundary |
St Pancras was a
Geography
It included Tottenham Court Road, Camden Town, St Pancras, Kings Cross, Somers Town, Kentish Town, Euston, and part of Regent's Park. There are still a few street name signs with "Borough of St Pancras" on them.
Population and area
The borough had an area of 2,694 acres (10.9 km2). The populations recorded in National Censuses were:
St Pancras Vestry 1801-1899
Year[1] | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population | 31,779 | 46,333 | 71,838 | 103,548 | 129,763 | 166,956 | 198,788 | 221,465 | 236,363 | 234,379 |
Metropolitan Borough 1900-1961
Year[2] | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population | 235,317 | 218,387 | 211,366 | 198,133 | [3] | 138,377 | 124,855 |
Governance
St Pancras was just outside the area of London mortality statistics known as the bills of mortality, and was counted as one of the "five villages beyond the Bills".[4] In 1801 it was included as a metropolitan parish for census purposes and was part of statistical returns for the Metropolis from that date.
The parish adopted the
Coat of arms
Unofficial arms of 1902
The corporation designed its own, unofficial, coat of arms in 1902. In the centre of the shield was a depiction of St Pancras. The shield itself was in four quarters. The first quarter was described as a "fimbriated cross" (actually a saltire) representing the martyrdom of Pancras. The fourth quarter stood for Middlesex, and bore three seaxes on red: (the attributed arms of the kingdom of the middle and east Saxons). The other two quarters had a lion and cross crosslets; and blue and silver chequers. These were taken from the arms of the borough of Lewes, in Sussex. The parish church of Lewes was the first in England to be dedicated to St Pancras. At the top of the shield was shown a gold rising sun for the "dawn of Christianity" in the area. The colours used in the design were described as "gold, azure, white and crimson".[5] The motto adopted was Constans Justitiam Moniti (Well Versed In Justice). According to Richard Crosley, writing in 1928, "This motto is unique amongst the mottoes of London in as much as the author has not discovered anyone who can translate it".[6]
Official arms of 1936
In 1936 the corporation received an official grant from the
The 1936 arms can still be seen over the entrance of Camden Town Hall. Charges from these arms were used, together with charges from the coats of arms of Hampstead and of Holborn, when the new coat of arms of the London Borough of Camden was designed in 1965.
Politics
Under the
Parliament constituencies serving this area
For elections to Parliament, the borough was used as the starting base and at first divided into four:
- St Pancras East
- St Pancras North
- St Pancras South
- St Pancras West
Then, from 1918 into three:
- St Pancras North
- St Pancras South East
- St Pancras South West
From 1950 parliamentary representation was reduced to 1+1⁄2 seats namely:
As such in the south, a seat straddled this Borough and the Metropolitan Borough of Holborn.
See also
References
- ^ Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV); Census tables for Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras
- ^ Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras : Census Tables at Vision of Britain accessed 14 Dec 2006
- ^ The census was suspended for World War II
- ISBN 9780140105933.
- ^ A coat of arms for St. Pancras, The Times, February 6, 1902
- ^ London's Coats of Arms, Richard Crosley, 1928
- ^ The London Gazette Issue: 21802. 20 October 1855. pp. 3871–3874. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ "H.M.S.O. Boundary Commission Report 1885 St Pancras Map". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ Post Office London County Suburbs Directory, 1919. 1919. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- ^ Ordnance Survey 'County Series 3rd Edition' Map of London (1912-14) at 1:2500 scale. Accessed at https://www.old-maps.co.uk/
Further reading
- Robert Donald, ed. (1907). "London: St. Pancras". Municipal Year Book of the United Kingdom for 1907. London: Edward Lloyd.