The creation of the parish of Christ Church (later called Christchurch) as described in the London Gazette, 10th August 1875, pages 9 and 10

At the Court at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, the 5th day of August, 1875.

PRESENT,

The QUEEN’s Most Excellent Majesty in Council.

WHEREAS the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England have, in pursuance of the Act of the fifty-ninth year of His Majesty King George the Third, chapter one hundred and thirty- four; of the Act of the second and third years of Her Majesty, chapter forty-nine; and of the Act of the nineteenth and twentieth years of Her Majesty, chapter fifty-five, duly prepared and laid before Her Majesty in Council a representation, bearing date the fifteenth day of July, in the year one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the words and figures following ; that is to say,

” We, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England, in pursuance of the Act of the fifty-ninth year of His Majesty King George the Third, chapter one hundred and thirty-four; of the Act of the second and third years of your Majesty, chapter forty-nine; and of the Act of the nine- teenth and twentieth years of your Majesty, chapter fifty-five, have prepared, and now humbly lay before your Majesty in Council, the following representation as to the assignment of a district chapelry to the consecrated church called Christ Church situate within the limits of the parish of Mitcham in the county of Surrey and in the diocese of Winchester

“Whereas it appears to us to be expedient that a district chapelry should be assigned to the said church called Christ Church situate within the limits of the parish of Mitcham as aforesaid.

“Now, therefore, with the consent of the Right Reverend Edward Harold Bishop of the said diocese of Wincheter (testified by his having signed and sealed this representation), we, the said Ecclesiastical Commissioners, humbly represent, that it would, in our opinion, be expedient that all that part of the said parish of Mitcham which is described in the schedule hereunder written, all which part, together with the boundaries thereof, is delineated and set forth on the map or plan hereunto annexed, should be assigned as a district chapelry to the said church called Christ Church situate within the limits of such parish as aforesaid, and that the same should be named ‘ The District Chapelry of Christ Church Mitcham.’

” And, with the like consent of the said Edward Harold Bishop of the said diocese of Winchester (testified as aforesaid), we, the said Ecclesiastical Commissioners, further represent that it appears to us to-be expedient that banns of matrimony should be published, and that marriages, baptisms, churchings and burials should be solemnized or performed at such church, and that the fees to be received in respect of the publication of such banns and of the solemnization or performance of the said offices should be paid and belong to the minister of the same church for the time being: Provided always, that nothing herein contained shall be Construed as expressing .any intention on the part of us the said Commissioners to concur in or approve the taking of any fee for the per forraance of the said office of baptism or for the registration thereof,

“We, therefore, humbly pray that your Majesty will be graciously pleased to take, the premises into your Royal consideration, and to make such Order with respect thereto as to your Majesty, in your Royal wisdom, shall seem meet.

“The SCHEDULE to which the foregoing

Representation has reference.

“The District Chapelry of Christ Church, Mitcham, being ;—

“All that part of the parish of Mitcham in the county of Surrey and in the diocese of Winchester which is bounded on the east by the new parish of Emmanuel Streatham on the north partly by the parish of Streatham and partly by the parish of Saint Nicholas Tooting—otherwise called or known as Tooting Graveney—all in the said county of Surrey and in the diocese of Winchester aforesaid on the west partly by the district chapelry of the Holy Trinity South Wimbledon in the said county of Surrey and in the diocese of London and partly by the parish or parochial chapelry of Saint Mary Merton in the said county of Surrey and in the diocese of Winchester aforesaid and upon the remaining side that is to say on the south by an imaginary line commencing on the boundary which divides the said parish or parochial chapelry of Saint Mary Merton from the parish of Mitcham aforesaid at a point distant two hundred and twenty-seven yards or thereabouts due north of such point being in the centre of the bridge which carries the footway leading from a certain house into ‘Phipp’s Bridge-road’ over the stream or watercourse which flows along the north-western side of the said road into the River Wandle and extending thence eastward for a distance of twenty yards or to its junction with Phipps Bridge-road aforesaid and extending thence north-eastward for a distance of ten yards or thereabouts along the middle of the last-named road to a point opposite to a boundary stone inscribed ‘ M.Ch : Ch : D. C. 1875 No. 1’ and placed, on the eastern side of the said road over the culvert which carries the watercourse which forms the northern and eastern boundary of the buildings and premises called or known, in one part as Homefield and in the other part as Harland’s Varnish Manufactory and extending thence eastward to such boundary stone and continuing thence for a distance of nine and a half chains or thereabouts first eastward and then southward along the, middle of the last-described stream or watercourse to a point opposite to the middle of the western end of the roadway which leads past the northern side of the rows of houses called or known respectively as Hope Cottages and as Aberdeen-terrace, into Church-road and extending thence eastward along the middle of the said roadway to its junction with Church-road aforesaid and continuing thence still eastward across the last-named road to a boundary stone inscribed ‘M. Ch : Ch.: D. C. 1875, No. 2’ and placed on the eastern side of the same road immediately opposite to the-middle of the above-described roadway and continuing thence still eastward and in a direct line for a distance of nearly a quarter of a mile to a boundary stone inscribed ‘M. Ch : Ch : D.C. 1875, No. 3’ and placed on the south-western side of Merton-lane opposite to the middle of the south-western end of the cart or occupation road which leads through the farmyard attached to Manor House to the southern end of the common land called or known as Figges Marsh and extending thence, that is from the last-mentioned boundary stone north-eastward and in a direct line for a distance of forty-nine chains or thereabouts to the mile stone indicating a distance of seven and a half miles from Whitehall and of eight miles from the Royal Exchange and placed on the western side of the high road from London to Mitcham and extending thence first eastward to a point in the middle of the said high road and then southward for a distance of thirty-one chains or thereabouts along the middle of the same high road to the point at the southern end of Figges Marsh aforesaid where the same high road is joined by Streatham-lane and extending thence north-eastward for a distance of thirty-two chains or thereabouts along the middle of the last named lane to a point opposite to a boundary stone inscribed ‘ M. Ch : Ch : D. C. 1875, No. 4’ and placed on the south-eastern side of the same lane nearly opposite to the south-eastern end of the occupation roadway leading to the house called or known as Gorringe Park at the north-western end of the line of fences which divides the closes numbered respectively 181, 180, 217, 218, and the occupation road leading to the house called or known as Lonesome upon the map of the ordnance survey of the said parish of hereunto annexed from the closes numbered respectively 185, 214, 215, and 216 upon the same maps and extending thence south-eastward to such boundary stone and continuing thence generally in the same direction for a distance of twenty four chains or thereabouts along the said line of fences (crossing the line of the Peckham and Sutton Branch of the London Brighton and South Coast Railway) to a boundary stone inscribed ‘ M. Ch : Ch : D. C. 1875, No. : 5 ‘ and placed at a leads to the house called or known as Lonesome, as aforesaid, such point being at the south-eastern end of the same line of fences and being also upon the boundary which divides the said parish of Mitcham from the new parish of Emmanuel Streatham aforesaid and also all. that detached part’ of the said parish of Mitcham which is situate on the southern side, of the road leading from Merton-road to Lambeth Cemetery and-which is bounded on all sides by the parish of Saint Nicholas Tooting otherwise called or known as Tooting Graveney.”

And whereas the said representation has been approved by Her Majesty in Council; now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice of Her said Council, is pleased hereby to ratify the said representation, and to order and direct that the same and every part thereof shall be effectual in law immediately from and after the time when this Order shall have been duly published in the London Gazette, pursuant to the said Acts ; and Her Majesty, by and with the like advice, is pleased hereby to direct that this Order be forthwith registered by the Registrar of the said diocese of Winchester.

C. L. Peel