Farringdon Without

Ward of Farringdon Without

Location within the City
Ward of Farringdon Without
 Ward of Farringdon Without shown within Greater London
OS grid referenceTQ313814
Sui generis City of London
Administrative area Greater London
RegionLondon
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town LONDON
Postcode district EC1, EC4
Dialling code 020
Police City of London
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
UK ParliamentCities of London and Westminster
London Assembly City and East
List of places
UK
England
London

Coordinates: 51°30′59″N 0°06′33″W / 51.51627°N 0.10911°W

Farringdon Without is a Ward in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. It covers the western area of the City, including the Middle Temple, Inner Temple, Chancery Lane, Smithfield and St Bartholomew's Hospital,[1] as well as the area east of Chancery Lane.

The largest of the City's 25 Wards, it was reduced in size considerably after a boundary review in 2003. Its resident population is 1,099 (2011).[2]

History

Originally known as the Ward of Anketill de Auvergne,[3] Farringdon was named after Sir Nicholas de Faringdon, who was appointed Lord Mayor of London for "as long as it shall please him" by King Edward II.[4] The Ward had been in the Faringdon family for 82 years at this time, his father, William de Faringdon preceding him as Alderman in 1281, when he purchased the position. William de Faringdon was Lord Mayor in 1281-82 and also a Warden of the Goldsmiths' Company.[5] During the reign of King Edward I, as an Alderman and Goldsmith, William Faringdon was implicated in the arrest of English Jewry (some, fellow goldsmiths) for treason.[6]

The Ward was split in two in 1394: Farringdon Without and Farringdon Within. "Without" and "Within" denote whether the ward fell outside or within the London Wall — such designation also applied to the wards of Bridge Within and Without.

As well as goldsmiths, in medieval times the Fleet Ditch attracted many tanners and curriers to the Ward. As the City became more populous, these trades were banished to the suburbs and by the 18th century the River Fleet had been culverted and built over. In its later years, the Fleet became little more than an open sewer, and the locality was given over to slums due to undesirable odours. The modern Farringdon Street was built over it, with the Fleet Market opening for the sale of meat, fish and vegetables in 1737. Charles Dickens described the market, in unflattering terms, in his novel Barnaby Rudge, set in 1780:

"Fleet Market, at that time, was a long irregular row of wooden sheds and penthouses, occupying the centre of what is now called Farringdon Street. They were jumbled together in a most unsightly fashion, in the middle of the road; to the great obstruction of the thoroughfare and the annoyance of passengers, who were fain to make their way, as they best could, among carts, baskets, barrows, trucks, casks, bulks, and benches, and to jostle with porters, hucksters, waggoners, and a motley crowd of buyers, sellers, pick–pockets, vagrants, and idlers. The air was perfumed with the stench of rotten leaves and faded fruit; the refuse of the butchers’ stalls, and offal and garbage of a hundred kinds. It was indispensable to most public conveniences in those days, that they should be public nuisances likewise; and Fleet Market maintained the principle to admiration."[7]

In 1829, it had become necessary to widen Farringdon Street, and the market was moved to new premises at Farringdon Market. This did not thrive, and its activities were moved to West Smithfield.[8]

On 27 January 1769, the radical MP John Wilkes was elected Alderman for this Ward, while a prisoner in Newgate Prison. This was after he had repeatedly been elected as a Member of Parliament and expelled from Parliament for "outlawry"; essentially for what was considered at the time "obscene and malicious libel" against, no less than, King George III. Later, Wilkes was elected Lord Mayor of London (1774-75).

Other famous Aldermen include scions of the Childs, Hoares and Goslings banking families.

Politics

Farringdon Without is one of 25 Wards in the City of London, each electing an Alderman to the Court of Aldermen and Commoners (the City equivalent of a Councillor) to the Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation.

The Ward is currently represented by Alderman Julian Malins QC[9] with Deputy Alex Deane[10] and four other Common Councilmen.[11] Only Freemen of the City of London are eligible to stand for election.[12][13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ City of London Corporation - Farringdon Without.
  2. ↑ www.statistics.gov.uk
  3. ↑ 'Ward of Anketill de Auvergne', A Dictionary of London (1918).
  4. ↑ Nicholas de Faringdon served as Lord Mayor 1308-9, 1320-21, and again, 1323-24
  5. ↑ 'The Lord Mayors of London', Old and New London: Volume 1 (1878), pp. 396-416.
  6. ↑ 'Gregory's Chronicle: 1250-1367', The Historical Collections of a Citizen of London in the fifteenth century (1876), pp. 67-88.
  7. ↑ Dickens, Charles Barnaby Rudge (1841), Chpt. 60
  8. ↑ Walter Thornbury, Old and New London: A Narrative of its History, its People and its Places. Illustrated with Numerous Engravings from the Most Authentic Sources.: Volume 2. Date accessed: 27 October 2006.
  9. ↑ Alderman Julian Malins QC
  10. ↑ Alex Deane, Deputy and Currier
  11. ↑ www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
  12. ↑ www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
  13. ↑ City voting, registration and appointments

External links