50-663: Houndsditch is a street running through parts of the Portsoken and Bishopsgate Without wards of the City of London ; areas which are also a part of the East End of London . The road follows the line of the outside edge of the ditch which once ran outside the London Wall . The road took its name from the section of ditch between Bishopsgate and Aldgate . The name may derive from the widespread dumping of rubbish in this stretch of ditch; relating to
100-505: A constable assigned, known as the Ward Constable, with the larger wards having Assistant Ward Constables in addition. The wards appear to have taken shape by the 11th century, before the Norman conquest of England . Their administrative, judicial and militia purposes made them equivalent to hundreds in the shires. The primary purpose of wards that had a gate on the city wall appears to be
150-902: A Common Councilman in March 2017 at the end of his time in office. In the 2017 City-wide Common Council elections, the Labour Party won two seats in Portsoken ward with local residents Jason Pritchard and Munsur Ali topping the polls and Independent incumbents John Fletcher and Henry Jones elected in third and fourth place respectively. The Labour Party won a record total of five seats on the Common Council in March 2017, winning two seats in Portsoken, two seats in Cripplegate ward and one seat in Aldersgate ward. In December 2017, William Campbell-Taylor stood as
200-517: A convenient place to dispose of filth and refuse. In 1595, levelling was first considered, although the street running alongside the ditch had first been paved in 1503. The name Houndsditche appears in the 13th century, and seems to relate to the quantity of rubbish and dead dogs thrown into it; previously it seems to have been referred to only by the appellation "the Ditch". Several dogs' skeletons were unearthed at Houndsditch in 1989. {{{annotations}}} By
250-400: A vacancy arises, for example, by the resignation or death of a councilman. The elections of aldermen are held individually from one another and arise if the sitting alderman dies, resigns or (after the six-year term) puts themselves up for re-election. Since the 2003 review (and confirmed by the 2013 review process ) the four residential wards elect twenty of the hundred common councilmen, and
300-425: A ward depends inter alia on the number of electors (which comprises both of residents and the business vote) in the ward. Only electors who are freemen are eligible to stand. Instead of a conventional electoral register , each ward has a ward list. All common councilmen are elected every four years in one set of elections held citywide. A by-election in a particular ward can occur between scheduled elections if
350-585: Is a period of purdah whilst in (and for a period after) office, and during this period their appointed deputy will usually take their role within the ward. The City of London is the only remaining local authority in Great Britain to have (non-honorary) aldermen, since their general abolition in England and Wales in 1974 and the London boroughs in 1978. Wards continue to have beadles , with most having just one, but
400-540: Is denoted (on maps, in documents, etc.) as being "Within" and the part outside the Wall as being "Without". Archaically "Infra" (within) and "Extra" (without) and the terms "intramural" and "extramural" had the same meaning. Changes were made in 1994 to the City of London's external boundary with several London boroughs , which meant consequential changes to boundaries of several wards, where areas were transferred either to or from
450-454: Is the location of a number of restaurants, bars and offices, and a short pedestrianised section of it runs along the north side of the Heron Tower , the tallest building in the City of London. The nearest London Underground station is Aldgate and the closest mainline railway station is Liverpool Street . The street is served by London Buses routes 42, 78, 100, 135, and 205. Houndsditch
500-458: Is the location of the 1945 film Kitty , set in 1783. The street is described as a slum. 51°30′55″N 0°04′43″W / 51.5153°N 0.0787°W / 51.5153; -0.0787 Portsoken Portsoken , traditionally referred to with the definite article as the Portsoken , is one of the City of London , England's 25 ancient wards , which are still used for local elections. Historically an extra-mural ward, lying east of
550-629: The Priory of Holy Trinity , which had been founded in 1107 by Queen Matilda , the wife of King Henry I . The sitting prior of Holy Trinity became, ex officio , an alderman of the City of London Corporation representing the Portsoken ward, and remained so until the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII in 1531. The Ward was originally coterminous with the once slightly larger parish of St Botolph without Aldgate and extended as far south as
SECTION 10
#1732844215089600-572: The Whitechapel Bell Foundry . The parish records from that time also reveal the presence of French, Dutch and Indian residents as well as at least one Persian and one East Indian (Bengali). Since the 1840s, nearly all of the Aldermen of the Ward have been Jewish. Boundary changes in 1994 and 2013 made often fundamental changes to the ancient Wards. The Portsoken (part of the City of London) and
650-591: The City of London. The election that took place in Portsoken Ward recorded the highest turnout in the entire 2022 Common Council Elections with 57.6% of the electorate casting their vote. The average turnout across the rest of the City of London was much lower at 36.5%. Two incumbent councillors, Munsur Ali and Jason Paul Pritchard, who were elected as Labour candidates in 2017, stood jointly and were both re-elected. John Fletcher and Henry Jones stood jointly and were both re-elected. Changes in voteshare are by party for
700-479: The Labour candidates and by candidate for independent candidates who previously stood as independents. Wards of the City of London The City of London (also known simply as "the City") is divided into 25 wards . The city is the historic core of the much wider metropolis of Greater London , with an ancient and sui generis form of local government , which avoided the many local government reforms elsewhere in
750-623: The Portsoken but remained a part of the parish. In 1442, St Katharine's (first established in 1147) became an independent Precinct, the Precinct of St Katharine by the Tower and so ceased to be a part of the East Smithfield area of the parish. In 1332, a tax assessment showed 23 taxpayers in the Portsoken. However, this figure only included freemen of the City of London who possessed moveable property worth more than 10 shillings , and so did not include
800-666: The Thames. However, the growth of the Tower of London beyond the line of the London Wall, disputes with the Tower, the creation of the Tower Liberty other factors resulted in the southern area being lost to the ward and to the City of London, after around 1200. The area taken for the Tower Liberty was lost to both the city ward of Portsoken and to the parish, while East Smithfield was lost to
850-493: The area as his territorial designation on elevation to the Lords in 1987. Similarly, Peter Levene (Lord Mayor 1998–1999) in 1997. Joseph's father was Lord Mayor in 1942–1943. In 2014 William Campbell-Taylor made history when he became the first ever party politician to win a seat on the City of London's Common Council, standing as a Labour candidate in a by-election in the ward of Portsoken. William Campbell-Taylor stood down as
900-659: The change was less extensive this time. The reviews were conducted by senior officers of the corporation and senior judges of the Old Bailey . The wards are not reviewed by the Electoral Commission or a local government boundary commission under the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986 and (unlike other local government electoral reviews) the number and the names of the wards do not change. The final decision on changes to ward boundaries and representation
950-462: The city by his heels, burnt with torches and then decapitated. His body was then ignominiously dumped over the wall, and into the ditch where hungry dogs were known to scavenge. It is also said that even the feral dogs refused to eat what was left of Edric. The ditch was redug in 1211 as a part of the defences, and was about 75 feet (23 m) in width. The city authorities found it a continual problem to scour and clean as many adjacent houses found it
1000-469: The city – the wards affected were: Farringdon Without, Cripplegate, Coleman Street, Bishopsgate, Aldgate, Portsoken, and Tower. Following a significant reform of the business vote in the city, all the wards underwent a major boundary and electoral representation revision in 2003. The ward boundaries, and electoral representation at the Court of Common Council, were reviewed again in 2010 for change in 2013, though
1050-511: The city's guilds no longer elected members. The number of members of the Common Council grew to 240 by the mid-nineteenth century, but is today fixed at 100. Each ward was divided into precincts, each of which elected one common councilman. As the number of precincts grew over time, the number of councilmen elected therefore also increased. The precincts have now been abolished. The wards are ancient and their number has only changed three times since their creation in time immemorial . Their number
SECTION 20
#17328442150891100-539: The city, who are employees of them. The ward's alderman presides over the wardmote and appoints one of the common councillors of the ward as a deputy (in some wards two are appointed) for the year ahead. Wardmotes at which an alderman is to be elected are presided over by the Lord Mayor. There are also ward clubs , which are similar to residents' associations found elsewhere in the country, but because these have membership open to those without an electoral qualification in
1150-408: The city. The number of Commoners each ward returns to the Court of Common Council is given (for both before and after the 2013 election); being largely based on the size of the electorate, this gives some indication as to the present number of residents (with respect to the four residential wards) and the scale of business activity. (A † symbol is shown where the representation has been capped despite
1200-431: The city. They had their boundaries changed in 2003, and to a lesser extent in 2013, though the number of wards and their names did not change. Each ward, or aldermanry , has its own alderman , who is the most senior official or representative in the ward. The aldermen traditionally held office for life but in the modern era put themselves up for re-election at least every six years. They also now customarily retire at 70,
1250-547: The country in the 19th and 20th centuries. Unlike other modern English local authorities, the City of London Corporation has two council bodies: the now largely ceremonial Court of Aldermen , and the Court of Common Council . The wards are a survival of the medieval governmental system that allowed very small areas to exist as self-governing units within the wider city. They are both electoral/political sub-divisions and permanent ceremonial, geographic and administrative entities within
1300-418: The defence of that gate, as gates were the weakest points in any fortification. In 1322 it was settled that an assembly consisting of two people elected from each ward would create ordinances for the whole city; in 1346 the number of representatives from each ward was formally linked to the size of the ward. The Common Council as we know it today, as a representative body of the wards, was realised in 1384 when
1350-554: The dumping of dead dogs, or the scavenging of the waste by feral dogs. A ditch was dug outside Londinium 's defensive wall by the Romans but was subsequently filled in and obliterated. The Danes under Cnut the Great constructed a town ditch to control access to the city. The ditch was reputedly known as a dumping ground for dead dogs, and a legend also recalls that Cnut had the body of infamous English traitor Eadric Streona dragged through
1400-490: The electorate, the elections in 2013 and 2017 elected a revised number of common councilmen in a number of wards. The present and altered representation is shown in the main ward summary table below; the total number of common councilmen (one hundred) will not change. The cap on Farringdon Without is maintained; the wards of Farringdon Within and Castle Baynard each have eight councilmen by normal allocation. Some wards were, or are, divided into two divisions (these are given in
1450-490: The first ever party political candidate to contest a City of London Aldermanic election, standing for Labour in Portsoken ward, but was defeated by Independent candidate Prem Goyal. Prem Goyal is the founder of the UK political party, All People's Party , although to date Goyal has chosen to stand as an Independent in elections in the City of London. On 23 March 2022, the quadrennial Citywide Common Council Elections were held across
1500-419: The former London Wall , the area is sometimes considered to be part of the East End of London . The ward is about 5 hectares in area, and is mainly oriented north-south, with the central part informally known as Aldgate while to its north as Bishopsgate . John Stow 's Survey of London records that the " soke " – in this context the right to extract fines as a source of income – (later " liberty ")
1550-641: The gang were cornered and killed in the Siege of Sidney Street . Approaching Bishopsgate , the modern office blocks do not occupy the full building plots, leaving some small areas empty. These were historically the sites of Plague pits . The road forms part of the A1211 route from Barbican to Whitechapel . Traffic flows one-way south-eastward from Outwich Street down the modern Houndsditch, which continues onto St. Botolph Street, connecting to either Aldgate High Street (west) or Whitechapel High Street (east). The street
Houndsditch - Misplaced Pages Continue
1600-463: The insurance markets (especially Lloyd's ) with Lime Street ward, and London Bridge with Bridge ward. Boundary changes in 2003 removed some of these connected places from their wards, but that boundary review and the current review do take into account of these historic/traditional connections. The City of London Police use the wards in their day-to-day neighbourhood policing, as well as in recording crime and other statistics, with each ward having
1650-404: The larger wards two or three. This is an ancient elected office that is now largely ceremonial, in that they accompany their alderman on the eight high ceremonial occasions in the city's civic calendar and in attending to call to order the wardmote , an annual meeting in each ward of electors, representatives and officials. These should not be confused with the beadles of the livery companies of
1700-571: The line of the wall. The Portsoken is now regarded as one of the City's four residential wards, with a population of 985 (2011). Portsoken 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. Only electors who are Freemen of the City are eligible to stand for election. Keith Joseph , Secretary of State for Industry 1979–1981 and Secretary of State for Education and Science 1981–1986, took
1750-463: The main ward list of this article) and where this happens a Deputy is appointed by the Alderman for each division, instead of the one for the whole ward. Additionally, all wards were further divided into precincts. The numbers and names of these precincts changed gradually over the centuries; precincts were named in various manners across the city's wards. In some wards they were named after localities or
1800-522: The neighbouring London Borough of Tower Hamlets exchanged territory, with the Middlesex Street Estate being transferred to the Portsoken. Land was also exchanged with the Aldgate Ward (Aldgate was formerly entirely within the wall, with the Portsoken entirely without), so that John Cass's Foundation Primary School (now The Aldgate School ) is now part of the ward, despite lying just inside
1850-578: The numbers of precincts for each division in two further wards: Dowgate (4 West and 4 East), and Langbourn (7 West and 5 East). This made a total of 220 precincts in 1715. Each precinct elected a Common Councilman. In 1831 there were a total of 236 Common Councilmen (including Deputies, some of whom were elected in their wards in addition to the Councilmen elected by precincts). The ward of Bridge Without had no precincts and did not elect any Common Councilmen throughout its history. Precincts no longer exist in
1900-887: The numerous parishes (on which many precincts were based), in other wards they were simply given numbers. In those wards which were divided into divisions, the precincts were allocated to one division or another. As of around 1800, the numbers of precincts in each ward (and for each division in brackets) were: Aldersgate 8 (4 Within and 4 Without), Aldgate 7, Bassishaw 2, Billingsgate 12, Bishopsgate 9 (5 Within and 4 Without), Bread Street 13, Bridge Within 14, Broad Street 10, Candlewick 7, Castle Baynard 10, Cheap 9, Coleman Street 6, Cordwainer 8, Cornhill 4, Cripplegate 13 (9 Within and 4 Without), Dowgate 8, Farringdon Within 17, Farringdon Without 16, Langbourn 12, Lime Street 4, Portsoken 5, Queenhithe 6, Tower 12, Vintry 9, and Walbrook 7. This amounted to 228 precincts, making each precinct on average around 3 acres (1.2 ha) in size. The City of London
1950-728: The others as a joint association and is now additional to them. In recent times the ward clerk is a permanent position held by an official at the corporation, and based at the Guildhall , though wards can appoint (usually at the wardmote) an honorary ward clerk in addition. The ward clerk is a separate office to that of the Town Clerk of London , who is the chief executive of the corporation. Particular churches, livery halls and other historic buildings, structures and institutions are associated with specific wards, such as St Paul's Cathedral with Castle Baynard ward , Vintners' Hall with Vintry ward ,
2000-577: The parish of St Botolph without Aldgate as a whole (both the Portsoken and East Smithfield parts) is recorded as having a population of at least 25 people identified as "blackamoors." They appear to have arrived as a result of the war with Spain , being freed from Spanish slave ships, or slavery in Spanish colonies, by English warships. These free black Londoners, some of whom had mixed African and Spanish ancestry, often found work as sailors or interpreters. Many were servants and one appears to have worked at
2050-437: The poor, non-citizens, or members of religious orders . A later subsidy roll from 1582 showed that the ward's taxpayers had been assessed to pay a total of 57 pounds , 11 shillings and 4 pence. The Portsoken has long had a mixed population, and in 1483 is recorded as having more aliens in its population than any ward in the City of London. This pattern of diversity continued, during the late 16th and early 17th centuries
Houndsditch - Misplaced Pages Continue
2100-640: The remaining, "business-dominated" wards elect the remaining eighty councilmen. The four residential wards are Portsoken , Queenhithe , Aldersgate and Cripplegate , and the 2003 boundary changes reinforced this. The majority of City residents are in the Barbican Estate which is split between Aldersgate and Cripplegate wards. There are a minimum of two common councilmen per ward and three specific wards have their number of councilmen capped: Farringdon Without at ten, Cripplegate at nine and Farringdon Within at eight. With boundary changes as well as changes in
2150-447: The same retirement age as a justice of the peace . Each ward (irrespective of its size) returns one alderman to the Court of Aldermen. One of the aldermen is elected (by the senior liverymen ) as Lord Mayor of London for a period of one year. The Lord Mayor performs many functions and holds many ancient positions and privileges. The Lord Mayor continues to be the alderman of their ward during and after their term of office, though there
2200-535: The turn of the 20th century, the street had become a thriving market in clothing and novelties, giving rise to one of London's leading department stores, the Houndsditch Warehouse, dubbed the " Selfridges of the Jewish Quarter". In December 1910, anarchists killed three police officers who had interrupted them during an attempted burglary at a jeweller's shop at No. 119, Houndsditch. In January 1911, two of
2250-400: The ward fell outside or within the London Wall , though only Farringdon and (formerly) Bridge have been split into separate wards in this way (Bridge Without was beyond the gates on London Bridge ). Some wards—Aldersgate, Bishopsgate and Cripplegate—cover an area that was both within and without the Wall and, although not split into separate wards, often the part (or division ) within the Wall
2300-414: The ward they have essentially become social clubs as part of the city's general civic social life along with the guilds, associations and liveries. There are twenty-two of these (Farringdon has always been an association of both wards of that name and Vintry and Dowgate the result of merger of the two clubs of each ward in 1957). Confusingly, there is also a 'United Wards Club' which was formed before many of
2350-500: Was very densely populated until the mid-19th century, giving each precinct in the region of 500 residents on average. A record of the wards, their divisions and precincts (including the names of the precincts) in 1715 give the following differences from the above figures: Aldersgate Within 5, Billingsgate 6, Broad Street 8 (4 Upper and 4 Lower), Castle Baynard 7 (4 First and 3 Second), Farringdon Without 15 (Fleet Street Side 8 and Holborn Side 7), and Queenhithe 9. This record also states
2400-615: Was granted in the time of Saxon king Edgar the Peaceful , east of Aldgate to a guild of knights, the Cnichtengild , in exchange, essentially, for regular jousting. Norman kings confirmed these rights but later the land was voluntarily transferred to the Priory of the Holy Trinity by the descendants of the guild. In 1120 or 1121 (the exact date is unknown), the Portsoken was granted as a liberty to
2450-434: Was made by the Court of Common Council and an Act of Common Council was passed on 4 November 2010 to give effect to the changes from 8 March 2013. Under the current arrangements, each ward is an electoral district , electing one alderman to the Court of Aldermen , and between two and ten common councilmen (the city's equivalent of a councillor ) to the Court of Common Council . The number of common councilmen elected by
2500-486: Was stated as 24 in the year 1206. In 1394 Farringdon was divided into Farringdon Within and Farringdon Without. In 1550 the ward of Bridge Without was created south of the river , with the ward of Bridge becoming Bridge Within. These two wards were merged in 1978, into the present-day Bridge ward. Thus the number of wards was 24 prior to 1394, 25 from 1394 to 1550, then 26 from 1550 to 1978, and has been 25 since 1978. The words "Without" and "Within" indicate whether
#88911