LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
In 1294 the prior of
St. Bartholomew's claimed view of frankpledge, the
assizes of bread and ale, infangthief, outfangthief, and
the right to erect a gallows in Little Stanmore, by
virtue of a grant from William de Rames (IV). A jury
upheld the first two claims but found that the three
remaining rights had always belonged to the king. (fn. 45)
View of frankpledge was duly ascribed to the prior
in 1306. (fn. 46)
The earliest court recorded, in a modern transcript, is that held for Prior William Bolton in
1508. (fn. 47) Transcripts also record some 17th- and 18th-century proceedings, (fn. 48) and surviving court books
run from 1775 to 1924. (fn. 49) A view of frankpledge was
usually held with a court baron every spring until
1736; from 1775 a general court baron was held
alone, sometimes with an additional one or a special
court at some other season. They met at the Crane,
from 1731 the Duke of Chandos's Arms and Crane,
where the last court was held in 1890. (fn. 50)
A vestry minute book, beginning with some
accounts of surveyors of the highways from 1654,
records the annual elections of parish officers from
1661 until the present day. Churchwardens' accounts
run from 1729 to 1831 and vestry order books from
1739 to 1815. (fn. 51) Eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century vestries normally met every month, with an
average attendance of 7 or 8; the incumbent or his
curate often presided and others who were occasionally present included the elder William Hallett and
two of his successors at Canons, Philip and Andrew
O'Kelly. Meetings took place in the vestry room at
the church from 1795, although they might be
adjourned to one of four near-by inns. (fn. 52)
From 1668 the vestry nominated a constable and
headborough, although their formal elections took
place at the manorial court at least until 1736; both
officers later had their expenses paid by the vestry
and continued to be nominated until 1864. (fn. 53) There
were two churchwardens in 1580 (fn. 54) and a subconstable in 1613. (fn. 55) One churchwarden was chosen
by the incumbent and one by the parishioners in
1661. From that date the vestry also named two
surveyors of the highways and two overseers of the
poor, although surveyors are not recorded between
1691 and 1796. Overseers' accounts survive for 1782
to 1801. (fn. 56) An assistant overseer was appointed by
wage in 1830. Other officers included a parish clerk
in 1780, an organist who in 1799 had to teach
children to sing before Sunday services, a beadle,
recorded once in 1814, and a sexton, by 1837. The
salaries of the clerk and organist came from rents
from the free school lands.
Poor-rates and church-rates were levied from the
mid 18th century. In 1776 £85 were raised and £60
spent on the poor. (fn. 57) Expenditure rose from £352 in
1816 to £468 in 1820, thereafter declining (fn. 58) and then
rising again to average £544 from 1831 to 1834. (fn. 59)
Weekly allowances were authorized by the vestry,
which in 1810 paid for 16 weeks in advance to enable
one recipient to undertake a sea-bathing cure; the
usual range of casual expenses, notably for clothing,
was also paid. Part of the surplus from the free
school lands was used for apprenticing boys or
placing girls in service. In 1799, as an apparently
short-lived experiment, two adults and six children
were farmed out; the overseers were to clothe them
and two visitors were to carry out monthly inspections at the contractor's house. In 1807 paupers were
to dig gravel from a new pit at Stanmore marsh. The
parish was as keen as Great Stanmore to reduce the
burden of relief: illegal settlers were repeatedly
removed and in 1749 the constable, himself accused
of conducting vagrants into Hendon without leave,
refused to accept others from Great Stanmore, on
the grounds that their pass referred to Little
Stanmore as Whitchurch.
No workhouse was built, presumably because the
parish was small and had other accommodation.
Apart from filling vacancies at the alms-houses,
which were separately endowed, (fn. 60) the vestry kept up
various parish houses, the first of which was recorded
in 1713. (fn. 61) Repairs were ordered to the thatched roof
of one in 1758, since inmates were soaked in their
beds; it was probably the thatched poor house 'up
town', which was burned down in 1785. Another
parish house, 'below the turnpike', was recorded in
1778. Part of a third parish building by the Ninepin
and Bowl, previously used for storing wood, was
converted to hold extra paupers in 1773; it still stood
20 years later but was pulled down before the
overseers sold the site in 1837. (fn. 62)
The vestry often acted in concert with its
neighbours. In 1767 a cage was to be built and used
jointly with Edgware. The constable of Little
Stanmore had a key to the cage by 1772 but Edgware
did not pay its half of the cost until 1780. The
appointment of an assistant overseer was also
discussed with Edgware in 1824, six years before
Little Stanmore named one of its own. As in Great
Stanmore medicines for the poor were provided by
1741, a family was given vaccination in 1768, and
regular medical attendance was paid for by 1754.
Both parishes retained the same 'surgeon and
apothecary' in 1761, at identical salaries, and 1782,
although soon afterwards Little Stanmore again had
its own officer. Committees were set up by the two
vestries in 1803, to avoid litigation over a disputed
boundary at Stanmore marsh; more committees
were formed in 1825 and lawyers' arbitration was
eventually accepted. (fn. 63)
Little Stanmore became part of Hendon poor law
union in 1835, whereupon a mere £37 was raised by
selling parish property and contributed towards the
new union workhouse at Redhill. (fn. 64) A nuisance
removal committee was set up, under an inspector,
in 1857 or 1858. (fn. 65) The parish was included in
Edgware highway district in 1863, thereafter being
governed by the same authority as Great Stanmore. (fn. 66)
In 1934 much of Little Stanmore was assigned to the
new Stanmore North ward and the area south of
Edgware brook to Stanmore South; the boundary of
Stanmore South was later moved to Whitchurch
Lane and a portion in the south-west included in
Belmont. (fn. 67)