Liberty of the Savoy: Difference between revisions

The Savoy
Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Savoy Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster
	;
History
• Created	1246
Status	Manor, Liberty
Government	Court Leet of the Savoy
• HQ	Somerset House
Subdivisions
• Type	Wards (4)
• Units	Church, Middle, Royal, Savoy

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The Savoy was a manor and liberty located between the Liberty of Westminster, on two sides, the Inner and Middle Temple part of City of London and the River Thames. It was in the county of Middlesex. Named for the Savoy Palace, it came to be held by the Duchy of Lancaster, and was also known as the Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster. The duchy continues to have land holdings within the area. The manor, enjoying the status of a liberty, comprised the precinct of the Savoy, the southern half and detached south-west of the parish of St Clement Danes and about three quarters of St Mary le Strand as it only, in a tiny part, extended north of Strand whereas those parishes straddled this ancient road.

History

Toponymy

Savoy is derived from Peter II, Count of Savoy who was granted land by Henry III in 1246.^[1]

Palace and hospital

The land for the palace was granted by Henry III to Peter of Savoy, uncle of his queen, Eleanor of Provence, and was renamed Savoy Palace.^[2] Peter in turn gave the palace to the Congregation of Canons of the Great Saint Bernard, and it became the "Great Hospital of St Bernard de Monte Jovis in Savoy".^[2] The hospital was purchased by Queen Eleanor who gave the site to her second son, Edmund, Earl of Lancaster. When Edward I became king, he confirmed the ownership of the Savoy area to Edmund with letters patent.^[2]

Duchy liberty

In 1351 Henry of Grosmont, a great-grandson of Henry III, was created the 1st Duke of Lancaster for services in the Hundred Years War. The seat of Lancaster in Lancashire was raised to a county palatine.^{[notes 1]}^[3] This meant the area was ruled by hereditary noblemen possessing special authority and autonomy from the rest of the Kingdom of England. Although the noblemen swore allegiance to the king, they had the power to rule the county and its contiguous land largely independently of the king. All other properties attached to the Duchy of Lancaster, including the Savoy became subject to the laws of the duke. As a consequence, someone being pursued for a debt in London could reside in the Savoy without fear of arrest by people acting under the authority of The Crown. Royal writs were not enforceable within the County of Lancashire until the 19th century. Lancaster had its own Court of Chancery until the 1970s. These circumstances have been used in historical fiction, such as the Aubrey-Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian or John Pearce series by David Donachie.

Governance

The area was a parcel of the Duchy of Lancaster. It was divided into four wards, Church, Middle, Royal and Savoy. It was governed by a court leet.^[4]

The liberty of the Savoy was part of Middlesex, and those connected with it eligible to vote at parliamentary elections were electors for the seats of Westminster.^[5]

The Liberty of the Savoy was a franchise coroner's district until 1930, when it became part of the Central district of the County of London.^[6]^[7]

The practice of beating the bounds was abandoned by the Duchy of Lancaster in 1969 and revived in 2010.^[8]

The Duchy of Lancaster continues to have land holdings within the area.^[9]

Geography

The Savoy had the River Thames as its southern limit. About 95% of it was south of the Strand. It was made up of parts of two parishes and one extra-parochial place. These were from west to east:

A rectangular part of the parish of St Clement Danes, south of the Strand, now the location of the Savoy Hotel and Shell Mex House.
All of the Precinct of the Savoy, now the location of the Savoy Chapel, Savoy Street and the IET London.
Part of the parish of St Clement Danes, north of the Strand, around Burleigh House/Lyceum Theatre.
The southern 3⁄4 of the parish of St Mary le Strand, now mostly taken up by Somerset House.
About half of the main part of the parish of St Clement Danes, south of the Strand.

The limits are shown by a series of markers.

Notes

^ Palatine (which has primary syllable stress) is the relevant adjective; Palatinate (which has stress on the second syllable) is the noun, used alone.

References

^ Mills, D. (2000). Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names. Oxford.
^ ^a ^b ^c Walter Thornbury (1878). "The Savoy". Old and New London: Volume 3. British History Online. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
^ Collins Dictionary
^ Joseph Ritson (1789). A digest of the proceedings of the Court Leet and of the manor and liberty of the Savoy.
^ "History of Parliament Trust. Constituency right to vote: Westminster". Historyofparliamentonline.org.
^ [1] ^{[dead link]}
^ "AIM25 collection description". Aim25.ac.uk.
^ "LONDON: Stately beating". Churchtimes.co.uk.
^ "Properties and Estates". The Duchy of Lancaster. Retrieved 5 January 2023.

External links

Map of the Savoy Liberty, 1830
'The Savoy', Old and New London: Volume 3 (1878)
Old and New London: Volume 3 (1878)
"The Savoy". Retrieved 26 June 2023.
"The Savoy". Retrieved 5 May 2006.
"The Patrick O'Brian Newsletter: Volume 2, Issue 2 October 1993". Retrieved 8 May 2006.
"The early History of Piccadilly". Retrieved 5 May 2006.
"The early History of Piccadilly". Retrieved 26 June 2023.

51°30′35″N 0°07′12″W / 51.5097°N 0.1200°W / 51.5097; -0.1200

[3] Palatine (which has primary syllable stress) is the relevant adjective; Palatinate (which has stress on the second syllable) is the noun, used alone.

[Mills-1] Mills, D. (2000). Oxford Dictionary of London Place Names. Oxford.

[old_and_new-2] Walter Thornbury (1878). "The Savoy". Old and New London: Volume 3. British History Online. Retrieved 26 February 2010.

[4] Collins Dictionary

[leet-5] Joseph Ritson (1789). A digest of the proceedings of the Court Leet and of the manor and liberty of the Savoy.

[6] "History of Parliament Trust. Constituency right to vote: Westminster". Historyofparliamentonline.org.

[7] [1] ^{[dead link]}

[8] "AIM25 collection description". Aim25.ac.uk.

[9] "LONDON: Stately beating". Churchtimes.co.uk.

[10] "Properties and Estates". The Duchy of Lancaster. Retrieved 5 January 2023.

[1]

[2]

[notes 1]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Area within London}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
 {{Infobox historic subdivision
    |Name                   = The Savoy
@@ Line 5: / Line 7: @@
    |Government             = Court Leet of the Savoy
    |Origin                 =
-   |Status                 = [[Manor]], [[Liberty (division)|Liberty]]
+   |Status                 = [[Manor (feudal Europe)|Manor]], [[Liberty (division)|Liberty]]
    |Start                  = 1246
    |End                    =
@@ Line 14: / Line 16: @@
    |Divisions              = Wards (4)
    |DivisionsNames         = Church, Middle, Royal, Savoy
    |DivisionsMap           =
    |Image                  =
-   |Map                    =
+   |Map                    = [[File:Westminster Civil Parish Map 1870.png|250px]]
    |Arms                   =
    |Civic                  =
    |PopulationFirst        =
@@ Line 26: / Line 28: @@
    |AreaFirstYear          =
    |DensityFirst           =
    |DensityFirstYear       =
    |PopulationSecond       =
@@ Line 33: / Line 35: @@
    |AreaSecondYear         =
    |DensitySecond          =
    |DensitySecondYear      =
    |PopulationLast         =
@@ Line 42: / Line 44: @@
    |DensityLastYear        =
 }}
-'''The Savoy''' was a [[manor]] and [[liberty (division)|liberty]] located between the [[City and Liberty of Westminster|Liberty of Westminster]] and the [[City of London]] in the county of [[Middlesex]]. The Savoy formed part of the [[Duchy of Lancaster]], as was also known as the '''Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster'''.  The duchy continues to have land holdings within the area. The manor and liberty included parts of [[St Clement Danes (parish)|St Clement Danes]], [[St Mary le Strand (parish)|St Mary le Strand]] and the whole of the [[precinct of the Savoy]].
+'''The Savoy''' was a [[Manorialism|manor]] and [[liberty (division)|liberty]] located between the [[City and Liberty of Westminster|Liberty of Westminster]], on two sides, the Inner and Middle Temple part of [[City of London]] and the [[River Thames]]. It was in the county of [[Middlesex]]. Named for the [[Savoy Palace]], it came to be held by the [[Duchy of Lancaster]], and was also known as the '''Liberty of the Duchy of Lancaster'''. The duchy continues to have land holdings within the area. The manor, enjoying the status of a liberty, comprised the [[precinct of the Savoy]], the southern half and detached south-west of the parish of [[St Clement Danes (parish)|St Clement Danes]] and about three quarters of [[St Mary le Strand (parish)|St Mary le Strand]] as it only, in a tiny part, extended north of [[Strand, London|Strand]] whereas those parishes straddled this ancient road.
 ==History==
@@ Line 49: / Line 51: @@
 ===Palace and hospital===
-In 1245 a palace was built in this location by [[Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester]]. Following his death, the building was subsequently granted by [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] to [[Peter II, Count of Savoy|Peter of Savoy]], uncle of his queen, [[Eleanor of Provence]], and was renamed [[Savoy Palace]].<ref name="old and new">{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45137 |title=The Savoy |author=Walter Thornbury |year=1878 |work=Old and New London: Volume 3 |publisher=British History Online |accessdate=26 February 2010}}</ref> From Peter the palace was gifted to the Congregation of Canons of the [[Bernard of Menthon|Great Saint Bernard]], becoming the "Great Hospital of St Bernard de Monte Jovis in Savoy".<ref name="old and new"/> The hospital was subsequently purchased by Queen Eleanor who gave the site to her second son, [[Edmund Crouchback|Edmund, Earl of Lancaster]]. When [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] became king, he confirmed the ownership of the Savoy area to Edmund with [[letters patent]].<ref name="old and new"/>
+The land for the palace was granted by Henry III to [[Peter II, Count of Savoy|Peter of Savoy]], uncle of his queen, [[Eleanor of Provence]], and was renamed [[Savoy Palace]].<ref name="old and new">{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45137 |title=The Savoy |author=Walter Thornbury |year=1878 |work=Old and New London: Volume 3 |publisher=British History Online |access-date=26 February 2010}}</ref> Peter in turn gave the palace to the Congregation of Canons of the [[Bernard of Menthon|Great Saint Bernard]], and it became the "Great Hospital of St Bernard de Monte Jovis in Savoy".<ref name="old and new"/> The hospital was purchased by Queen Eleanor who gave the site to her second son, [[Edmund Crouchback|Edmund, Earl of Lancaster]]. When [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] became king, he confirmed the ownership of the Savoy area to Edmund with [[letters patent]].<ref name="old and new"/>
 ===Duchy liberty===
-In 1351 [[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster|Henry of Grosmont]], a great-grandson of [[Henry III of England|Henry III]], was created the [[Duke of Lancaster|1st Duke of Lancaster]] for services in the [[Hundred Years War]]. The [[Family seat|seat]] of Lancaster in [[Lancashire]] was raised to a [[county palatine]].<ref group="notes">Palatine is an adjective used in conjunction with the noun county; Palatinate is a noun used alone: Collins Dictionary, op.cit.</ref> This meant the area would now be ruled by hereditary noblemen possessing special authority and autonomy from the rest of the [[Kingdom of England]]. Although the noblemen swore allegiance to the king, they had the power to rule the county and its contiguous land largely independently of the king. All other properties attached to the [[Duchy of Lancaster]], including the Savoy, then became subject to the laws of the Duke. As a consequence, someone being pursued for a debt in London could reside in the Savoy without fear of arrest by people acting under the authority of [[The Crown]]. Royal writs would not be enforceable within the County of Lancashire until the 19th century. Lancaster had its own Court of [[Court of equity|Chancery]] until the 1970s. These circumstances have been used in historical fiction, such as the [[Aubrey-Maturin series|Aubrey-Maturin]] novels by [[Patrick O'Brian]].
+In 1351 [[Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster|Henry of Grosmont]], a great-grandson of Henry III, was created the [[Duke of Lancaster|1st Duke of Lancaster]] for services in the [[Hundred Years War]]. The [[Family seat|seat]] of Lancaster in [[Lancashire]] was raised to a [[county palatine]].<ref group="notes">Palatine (which has primary syllable stress) is the relevant adjective; Palatinate (which has stress on the second syllable) is the noun, used alone.</ref><ref>Collins Dictionary</ref> This meant the area was ruled by hereditary noblemen possessing special authority and autonomy from the rest of the [[Kingdom of England]]. Although the noblemen swore allegiance to the king, they had the power to rule the county and its contiguous land largely independently of the king. All other properties attached to the [[Duchy of Lancaster]], including the Savoy became subject to the laws of the duke. As a consequence, someone being pursued for a debt in London could reside in the Savoy without fear of arrest by people acting under the authority of [[The Crown]]. Royal writs were not enforceable within the County of Lancashire until the 19th century. Lancaster had its own Court of [[Court of equity|Chancery]] until the 1970s. These circumstances have been used in historical fiction, such as the [[Aubrey-Maturin series|Aubrey-Maturin]] novels by [[Patrick O'Brian]] or John Pearce series by [[David Donachie]].
 ==Governance==
-The area was a parcel of the [[Duchy of Lancaster]]. It was divided into the four wards of Church, Middle, Royal and Savoy. It was governed by a [[court leet]].<ref name="leet">{{cite book | author = Joseph Ritson | title = A digest of the proceedings of the Court Leet and of the manor and liberty of the Savoy | date = 1789}}</ref>
+The area was a parcel of the Duchy of Lancaster. It was divided into four wards, Church, Middle, Royal and Savoy. It was governed by a [[court leet]].<ref name="leet">{{cite book | author = Joseph Ritson |author-link=Joseph Ritson | title = A digest of the proceedings of the Court Leet and of the manor and liberty of the Savoy | date = 1789}}</ref>
-The liberty was considered to form part of Middlesex, but for parliamentary elections the eligible inhabitants voted with [[Westminster (UK Parliament constituency)|Westminster]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/constituencies/westminster | title=Westminster | accessdate= }}</ref>
+The liberty of the Savoy was part of [[Middlesex]], and those connected with it eligible to vote at parliamentary elections were electors for the seats of [[Westminster (UK Parliament constituency)|Westminster]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/constituencies/westminster | title=History of Parliament Trust. Constituency right to vote: Westminster|website=Historyofparliamentonline.org}}</ref>
-The Liberty of the Savoy was a franchise [[coroner]]'s district until 1930, when it became part of the Central district of the County of London.<ref>http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/33660/pages/7174/page.pdf</ref><ref>http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=14584&inst_id=118&nv1=browse&nv2=sub</ref>
+The Liberty of the Savoy was a franchise [[coroner]]'s district until 1930, when it became part of the Central district of the County of London.<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/33660/pages/7174/page.pdf] {{dead link|date=July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aim25.ac.uk/cgi-bin/vcdf/detail?coll_id=14584&inst_id=118&nv1=browse&nv2=sub|title=AIM25 collection description|website=Aim25.ac.uk}}</ref>
-The practice of [[beating the bounds]] was abandoned by the Duchy of Lancaster in 1969 and revived again in 2010.<ref>http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2010/4-june/gazette/london-stately-beating</ref>
+The practice of [[beating the bounds]] was abandoned by the Duchy of Lancaster in 1969 and revived in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2010/4-june/gazette/london-stately-beating|title=LONDON: Stately beating|website=Churchtimes.co.uk}}</ref>
+The Duchy of Lancaster continues to have land holdings within the area.<ref>{{cite web |title=Properties and Estates |url=https://www.duchyoflancaster.co.uk/properties-and-estates/ |website=The Duchy of Lancaster |access-date=5 January 2023}}</ref>
 ==Geography==
-The Savoy had the [[River Thames]] as its southern boundary and was located primarily to the south of the [[Strand, London|Strand]]. It was made up of the following parishes and extra-parochial places (from west to east):
+The Savoy had the [[River Thames]] as its southern limit. About 95% of it was south of the [[Strand, London|Strand]]. It was made up of parts of two parishes and one extra-parochial place. These were from west to east:
-*Part of the parish of [[St Clement Danes (parish)|St Clement Danes]] (south of the Strand, now location of Savoy Hotel)
+*A rectangular part of the parish of [[St Clement Danes (parish)|St Clement Danes]], south of the Strand, now the location of the Savoy Hotel and Shell Mex House.
-*All of the [[Precinct of the Savoy]]
+*All of the [[Precinct of the Savoy]], now the location of the Savoy Chapel, Savoy Street and the [[Institution of Engineering and Technology|IET]] London.
-*Part of the parish of St Clement Danes (north of the Strand, around Burleigh House/Lyceum Theatre)
+*Part of the parish of St Clement Danes, north of the Strand, around Burleigh House/Lyceum Theatre.
-*Part (most) of the parish of [[St Mary le Strand (parish)|St Mary le Strand]] (now mostly taken up by Somerset House)
+*The southern {{frac|3|4}} of the parish of St Mary le Strand, now mostly taken up by Somerset House.
-*Part of the parish of St Clement Danes (south of the Strand)
+*About half of the main part of the parish of St Clement Danes, south of the Strand.
-The boundaries of the manor and liberty are marked with a series of markers.
+The limits are shown by a series of markers.
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 83: / Line 87: @@
 *[http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/crace/m/largeimage88222.html Map of the Savoy Liberty, 1830]
 *[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45137 'The Savoy', Old and New London: Volume 3 (1878)]
+*[https://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol3  Old and New London: Volume 3 (1878)]
+*{{cite web
+|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol3/pp95-100
+| title= The Savoy
+| access-date=26 June 2023
+}}
 *{{cite web
 | url=http://www.pepysdiary.com/p/1159.php#11225
 | title= The Savoy
-| accessdate=5 May 2006
+| access-date=5 May 2006
 }}
 *{{cite web
 | url=http://www.wwnorton.com/pob/vol2ii.htm
 | title= The Patrick O'Brian Newsletter: Volume 2, Issue 2 October 1993
-| accessdate=8 May 2006
+| access-date=8 May 2006
 }}
 *{{cite web
 | url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=41452
 | title= The early History of Piccadilly
-| accessdate=5 May 2006
+| access-date=5 May 2006
+}}
+*{{cite web
+| url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vols31-2/pt2/pp32-40
+| title= The early History of Piccadilly
+| access-date=26 June 2023
 }}

v t e History of the formation of the City of Westminster
Metropolitan boroughs	St Marylebone Paddington Westminster
District boards	Strand Westminster
Parishes	Close of the Collegiate Church of St Peter Liberty of the Rolls Precinct of the Savoy St Anne Within the Liberty of Westminster St Clement Danes St George Hanover Square St Martin-in-the-Fields St Mary le Strand St Paul Covent Garden Westminster St James Westminster St Margaret and St John
Liberties	The Savoy Westminster