Liberty of Norton Folgate
| Norton Folgate | |
|---|---|
 Norton Folgate in 1681  |
|
| Area | |
| • 1901 | 8 acres (0.032 km2) |
| Population | |
| • 1801 | 1,752 |
| • 1851 | 1,771 |
| • 1901 | 1,663 |
| Density | |
| • 1901 | 208/acre |
| History | |
| • Abolished | 1900 (liberty) 1921 (civil parish) |
| • Succeeded by |
Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch Metropolitan Borough of Stepney |
| Status |
Liberty (until 1900) Extra-parochial area (until 1858) Civil parish (1858—1921) |
| • HQ | Norton Folgate Street (c.1544-1744) White Lion Street (1744-1901) |
Norton Folgate was a liberty within the metropolitan area of London, England, located between the Bishopsgate ward of the City of London to the south, the parish of St Leonard, Shoreditch to the north and the parish of Spitalfields to the east. It was grouped into the Whitechapel District in 1855 and, following boundary changes in the 1990s, its former area is now divided between the City of London and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.
The name is recorded circa 1110 as Nortune and means 'north farmstead'. It is formed from the Old English 'north' and 'tūn', with the affix 'Folgate' perhaps derived from the manorial family name Foliot. This is possibly referring to Gilbert Foliot, Bishop of London or Richard Foliot, a canon of St Paul's Cathedral. An alternative explanation found in The National Gazetteer from 1868 describes Folgate as derived "from the Saxon word Foldweg, a highway, in allusion to the old Roman Road (Ermine Street) which passed through this place." It is remembered in the street of Norton Folgate and the 2009 album by the band Madness, called The Liberty of Norton Folgate
Its origin was as the area of land occupied by the inner precinct of the Priory and Hospital of St Mary Spital. The priory was dissolved during the Reformation, but the land which reverted to the Crown, retained its status as an extra-parochial liberty. Within the 8.7 acres (35,000 m2) of the former liberty are Folgate Street (formerly White Lyon Yard or White Lion Street), Spital Square, Elder Street, Fleur de Lis Street and Blossom Street.
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