[1] Some of the old inhabitants of Battersea have a notion that Battersea took its name originally from a great battle that was fought in shallow water knee-deep when the river was fordable, hence Battersea, Battelsea or Battlesea—as the name itself appears to be somewhat shrouded in obscurity there may be some partial truth in this oral statement though we are not acquainted with any authentic records which warrant us to affirm that Battersea derived its name from this circumstance.
The earliest record we have of Battersea appears in Doomsday Book, where it is written Pattricesy. Some authors have supposed that because Petersham, which belonged to St. Peter's Abbey, Chertsey, is there spelt Patricesham, that the earliest form of Battersea originated its connexion with St. Peter's Abbey, the c they say in both these words was sibilant and therefore did not differ very much in pronunciation from that it is now, though they admit that it is a "curious anomaly that while P in Patricesy has been changed into B the P in Patricesham remains unchanged." What the final syllable represents is less clear as there are now no traces of Battersea having been an island although there may have been once. Chelsea, it is remarked, "was originally Ceale-hythe or Chelc-hythe, and a haven on the Thames, not an island, just as Lambeth was 'Lambe-hithe' or haven, but there is no recorded form of Battersea that would allow us to say that ey or ea represented hithe. There was, however, until about thirty years ago, a Creek, up which tradition reports that Queen Elizabeth rowed. A bright little stream rising in Tooting, and passing by Wandsworth Common, flowed into the Thames at this Creek, which is now a mere sewer, and its better character is only kept in remembrance by the name of Creek Street." The Rev. Daniel Lysons, in a book entitled "The Environs of London," published in 1792, which, through the kindness of Mr. R. J. S. Kentish, Librarian of the Beaufoy Library, we have had the privilege of consulting, says, "the name has undergone several changes. In the Conqueror's Survey, it is called Patricesy, and has since been written Battrichsey, Battersey and Battersea, each variation carrying it still further from its original signification. Of the original signification of the word, I think there can be little doubt. Patricesy in the Saxon is Peter's water or river; and as the same record which calls it Patricesy mentions that it was given to St. Peter, it might then first assume that appellation, but this I own is conjecture. Petersham, which is precisely the same in Doomsday—Patriceham, belonged to St. Peter's Abbey, Chertsey, and retains its original name a little modernised. Aubrey, Vol. I. p. 135, derives the name from St. Patrick; but Aubrey was mistaken by seeing it written Patricesy, instead of Petricesy, in Doomsday; but the Normans were not very accurate spellers. Petersham was written in the same manner with an a."[1] "The Parish of Battersea is bounded on the East by Lambeth, on the South by Camberwell, Streatham and Clapham; on the West by Wandsworth, and on the North by the River Thames. The greater part of Wandsworth Common, which extends nearly two miles in length towards Streatham, and a considerable part of Clapham Common are in the Parish of Battersea." The boundaries of Clapham Parish, according to the oldest documents of that Parish and Manor, when taken, have usually commenced at the corner of Wix's Lane, formerly called Browmell's corner. The limits of Clapham Parish where it adjoins Battersea in the early part of last century was the subject of a legal contest, that part of Clapham Common extending to Battersea Rise being claimed by both parishes. In 1716 the inhabitants of Battersea inclosed with a ditch and bank the tract of land in question, and the people of Clapham levelled the bank and filled up the ditch; in consequence of which Henry Lord Viscount St. John, the Lord of the Manor of Battersea, brought an action for trespass against those who were engaged in this work, or their employers, which was tried at the Lent Assizes at Kingston, in 1718, when the plaintiff was non-suited. The men of Battersea however were not discouraged but persevered with greater determination than ever in supporting their claim by including when they beat the boundaries of their Parish the disputed ground in their perambulations; and says Mr. Brayley "it would seem to have been eventually successful, a certain portion of the Common being now held on lease of Earl Spencer as Lord of the Manor of Battersea."—Brayley, Surrey Mantel, Vol. III. p. 281.
[1] The Manor of Peckham in the Confessor's reign belonged to this Parish, which has since been thrown into Camberwell; Penge being still continued as part of the Manor though separated from the rest by Streatham and Lambeth.—Manning and Bray's History and Antiquities of Surrey, Vol. I., p. 327.
Last century Clapham Common was little better than a morass; it covers 202 acres. The number and variety of trees both English and exotic with which it is ornamented give it very much the appearance of a park. The Metropolitan Board of Works have purchased the manorial rights over the Common which is now under their supervision. "In the year 1874 (says Mr Walford) the Enclosure Commissioners for England and Wales under the Metropolitan Common Act, 1866, and Metropolitan Commons' Amendment Act, 1869, certified a scheme for placing the Common under the control of the Local Board, the Common was purchased for the sum of £17,000 and it was proposed that it should be dedicated to the use and recreation of the public for ever. By the above mentioned scheme the Board were to drain, plant, and ornament the Common as necessary, no houses were to be built thereon, but eight lodges necessary for its maintenance."
The writer of a work entitled "Clapham with its Common and Environs," says, "The Mount-Pond was originally a gravel pit, excavated principally to form the turnpike road from Tooting to London. The Mount was raised, and a Pagoda Summer House planted on the top, by Henton Brown, Esq., of the firm of Brown and Tritton, Bankers, Lombard Street, member of the Society of Friends. Mr. Brown lived in the house, late in the occupation of J. Thornton, Esq., and was at great expense in forming the Mount and Pond. The Mount was larger than it now is, and planted with choice shrubs as well as trees. A bridge was thrown over the east side to connect it with the Common, and a pleasure boat was kept under it, but which after the failure of Mr. Brown, went rapidly to decay. He fenced it round with posts and rails, and in 1748 the Parish gave him leave to put down a close fence, which a subsequent Vestry refused to ratify. He was also at the expense of making a conduit from the pond to supply a reservoir in his own grounds." Lavender Hill seems to have been long noted for its nursery gardens. Situated on the Hill was Lavender Villa—at the foot of Lavender Hill was a brook. Now Lavender Hill has the appearance of a busy town. Splendid shops, handsomely decorated and well stocked line both sides of the main thoroughfare, and rows of respectable houses and semi-detached villas forming roads and streets have sprung up in all directions. The same may be said of a great portion of Battersea Rise extending to Bolingbroke Grove. Stately trees have been felled and green slopes that were are now covered with houses, with here and there a place of worship, and all this transformation has taken place within the last twelve years. Clapham Common and its immediate vicinity was in the early years of the present century the seat of the knot of zealous men who, labouring together for what they believed to be the interest of pure religion, the reformation of manners and the suppression of slavery, came to be known as the Clapham sect. One of the most distinguished of them, William Wilberforce, lived at the house known as "Broomfield," (Broomwood) on the south-west side of Clapham Common, and there his no less distinguished son, the late Bishop of Winchester, was born September 7th, 1805. "Conterminous with his fair demesne was that of Henry Thornton, the author and prime mover of the conclave, whose meetings were held, for the most part, in the oval saloon which William Pitt, dismissing for a moment his budgets and his subsidies, planned to be added to Henry Thornton's newly-purchased residence.... It arose at his bidding, and yet remains, perhaps a solitary monument of the architectural skill of that imperial mind. Lofty and symmetrical, it was curiously wainscoted with books on every side except where it opened on a far-extended lawn reposing beneath the giant arms of aged elms and massive tulip trees."—Stephen's Essays, Vol. II. p. 290. "In this saloon, and on the far-extended lawn, after their long years of effort, assembled in joy and thanksgiving and mutual congratulation over the abolition of the slave trade, Wilberforce, Clarkson, Granville, Sharp, Stephen, Zachary Macaulay and their younger associates and disciples. But the Villa-cinctured-Common was also the birthplace or cradle of another and hardly less remarkable and far-reaching religious movement or institution. Just as it was the dwelling place, the home or haunt of every one of the most eminent supporters of the anti-slavery movement, so was it the home or haunt of the founders of the Bible Society, its earliest ministers or secretaries, and above all the first and greatest of its presidents, John Lord Teignmouth."—Handbook to the Environs of London, by James Thorne, F.S.A., Part I. pp. 111, 112. Broomwood was the seat of the late Sir Charles Forbes, contiguous to which and facing the tall poplar tree is situated a spacious villa once the residence of the late Frances Elizabeth Leveson Gower, an estimable Christian maiden-lady who was a subscriber to several benevolent institutions. She used to conduct bible readings not only for the female servants of the gentry of Clapham Common but also for navvies and others of the labouring classes in her own dining room, where they partook of her generous hospitality after their daily toil in the shape of a hearty meal.
A Good Example of liberality was given by one Mr. Thornton, of Clapham, a noble-hearted Christian merchant. One morning, when he had received news of a failure that involved him in the loss of no less than a hundred thousand pounds, a minister from the country called at his counting-house to ask a subscription for an important object. Hearing that Mr. Thornton had suffered that loss, he apologized for having called. But Mr. Thornton took him kindly by the hand and said: "My dear sir, the wealth I have is not mine, but the Lord's. It may be that He is going to take it out of my hands, and give it to another; and if so, this is a good reason why I should make a good use of what is left." He then doubled the subscription he intended to give.
The recently deceased and much lamented Philip Cazenove was for thirty years a parishioner, residing on Battersea Rise, whose name was a Synonym for kindness and Christian charity concerning whom we feel that we cannot pass a better eulogium than that recorded in St. Mary's, Battersea, Parish Magazine for February, 1880. "He has been a benefactor such as a parish rarely numbers amongst its church folk. The magnificent Girls' School in Green Lane was added to Miss Champion's benefaction, almost at Mr. Cazenove's sole cost. To every church building scheme, to Battersea College, to new schools, to the proposed Hospital, to every good work he was a munificent contributor. And what he did in Battersea, he did in all parts of East and South London, indeed in all parts of the metropolis and in the country. And he sought no thanks for his donations, but with a rare self-forgetfulness he seemed to avoid the acknowledgments of gratitude. His liberality, great as it was, by no means represented all that he did for good works. In our parish he took a personal interest in our Schools of all grades. He always had words of kind encouragement for the teachers. He was always ready to preside at any meeting, or to act on any committee. And as his alms deeds went far beyond his own parish so did his personal service. There was no more familiar face than his in the Board-rooms of the great Church Societies, for some of the chief of which, as the Gospel Propagation Society, he acted as Treasurer. He was an active member of the governing bodies of Guy's Hospital, and other like institutions, and everywhere he freely gave his sunny sympathy and the ripe counsels of his long experience. He was indeed a notable instance of an open-handed, simple-hearted Churchman, some would add 'of the old school,' and we would say, may God of His mercy put it into the hearts of others to perpetuate such a 'school' for truly they are a blessing and a stay to all around them. Our venerated friend was stricken with illness in the beginning of last year, and it seemed as if he would then have succumbed to the physical weakness of the action of that great loving heart. But he rallied somewhat, and during the summer and autumn he was able to sit in his garden or to drive out in his carriage. He was able to be at S. Mark's on S. Michael's Day, 1879, and to receive the Holy Communion there for the last time in the Sanctuary. With the return of winter, his weakness increased, and after a year of weariness and languor and the depression incident to his illness, he entered into the Rest, for which he had yearned, in the early morning of January 20. Philip Cazenove, born Nov. 23, 1798; died January 20, 1880, aged 81."
Hear what the voice from heaven proclaims
For all the pious dead,
Sweet is the savour of their names,
And soft their sleeping bed.
They die in Jesus, and are bless'd;
How kind their slumbers are!
From sufferings and from sins released,
And freed from every snare.
Far from this world of toil and strife,
They're present with the Lord:
The labours of their mortal life
End in a large reward.—Isaac Watts, 1709.
At a semi-detached villa situated in this part of the Common, resided the late Charles Curling, Esq., whose memory many of the poor inhabitants of Old Battersea cherish with feelings of grateful respect. He relieved the temporal wants of the needy; opened day and night schools in order that the poorest might be educated; under his excellent wife's superintendence maternal meetings were conducted; at his own expense he supported an Evangelist and a Bible Woman to work in the district.
The Villa adjoining that of Mr. Curling's was occupied by the late Misses Sarah Hibbert and Mary Ann Hibbert, who erected Alms Houses in Wandsworth Road, Clapham, for eight aged women, in grateful remembrance of their father, William Hibbert, who was for many years an inhabitant of Clapham. Not least among the benefactresses of the poor might be mentioned the names of Lady George Pollock, Lady Lawrence, Mrs. Sillem, and Mrs. Robert Jones, of this part, (all deceased). The memory of the just is blessed!