Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for EDGWARE

EDGWARE, a small town, a parish, and a sub-district in Hendon district, Middlesex. The town stands on Watling-street, at the terminus of the London and Edgware railway, 4 miles NE of Harrow; is partly in Little Stanmore parish; was known formerly as Edgeware; consists chiefly of one street; was formerly a market town; has still a fair on the first Monday of Aug., with races on the two following days; is a seat of petty sessions and a polling-place; publishes a weekly newspaper; and has a post office‡ under London, NW. The parish includes also Edgwarebury and part of the village of Elstree. Acres, 1, 979. Real property, £5, 677. Pop., 705. Houses, 148. The property is not much divided. The manor belonged formerly to the Lonspées, the Lacys, and others; and belongs now to All-Souls college, Oxford. Canons, an adjacent estate in Little Stanmore parish, belonged to the first duke of Chandos, and belongs now to David Begg, Esq. A magnificent palace was built on it by the Duke of Chandos, at a cost of upwards of £250, 000; and was the place where Handel composed much of his music, while acting as chapel-master to the Duke; but was pulled down in 1747. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of London. Value, 493.* Patron, Dr. John Lee. The church was rebuilt in 1845, but has the tower of a previous edifice. There are an Independent chapel, two national schools, and alms-houses with £131. Francis Coventry, the author of "Pompey the Little, " and Thomas Martyn, a Cambridge professor who died in 1797, were vicars.—The sub-district contains four parishes. Acres, 6, 737. Pop., 3, 423. Houses, 651.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a small town, a parish, and a sub-district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Edgware Ch/CP       Edgware SubD       Hendon RegD/PLU       Middlesex AncC
Place: Edgware

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