Liberty of Peckham
| Peckham | |
|---|---|
 Peckham |
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 Peckham
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| Peckham shown within Greater London | |
| Population | 71,552 (Peckham, Peckham Rye, Nunhead, Livesey, The Lane wards) |
| OS grid reference | TQ345765 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SE15 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| EU Parliament | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
Peckham (/ˈpɛkəm/) is a district of south-east London, England, 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward of the London Borough of Southwark had a population of 11,381.
Peckham was originally part of the parish of Camberwell, which later became the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell, and also included Camberwell, Dulwich, Nunhead, and other London districts.
"Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the village of the River Peck, a small stream that ran through the district until it was enclosed in 1823. Archaeological evidence indicates earlier Roman occupation in the area, although the name of this settlement is lost.
Peckham appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as Pecheham. It was held by the Bishop of Lisieux from Odo of Bayeux. Its Domesday assets were: 2 hides. It had land for 1 plough, 2 acres (8,100 m2) of meadow. It rendered 30 shillings (£1.50).
The manor was owned by King Henry I, who gave it to his son Robert, Earl of Gloucester. When Robert married the heiress to Camberwell the two manors were united under royal ownership. King John probably hunted at Peckham and local anecdotes suggest that the right to an annual fair was granted to celebrate a particularly good day's sport. The fair grew to be a rowdy major event lasting three weeks until its abolition in 1827.
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Wikipedia