Merton (historic parish)
| Merton | |
|---|---|
| Area | |
| • 1881 | 1,765 acres |
| • 1921 | 1,762 acres |
| • 1951 | 1,762 acres |
| Population | |
| • 1881 | 2,480 |
| • 1921 | 16,177 |
| • 1951 | 39,313 |
| Density | |
| • 1881 | 1.4/acre |
| • 1921 | 9.2/acre |
| • 1951 | 22.3/acre |
| History | |
| • Origin | Ancient parish |
| • Abolished | 1 April 1965 |
| • Succeeded by | London Borough of Merton |
| Status | Civil parish (rural until 1907, then urban) |
| Government | Merton Parish Council (1894—1907) |
Merton is an ancient parish which was first in Surrey but since 1965 (as Merton Priory [current parish]) has been in London, bounded by Wimbledon to the north, Mitcham to the east, Morden, Cheam and Cuddington (Worcester Park and rest of Motspur Park) to the south and (New) Malden to the west. The 1871 Ordnance Survey map records its area as 1,764.7 acres (7.1 km2) (2.7 sq mi).
The parish was and is centred on the 12th-century parish church, St Mary's in Merton Park. The parish as a result of the disestablishment of the vestries became of two legal types and areas: religious and civil. It had in the late 19th century seen breakaway ecclesiastical parishes but the civic aspect in 1907 was transformed into Merton Urban District, this in turn was enlarged and empowered into the London Borough of Merton in 1965.
Merton Park is quite widely used as a neighbourhood. Merton itself is a rarely used name, to fellow residents and businesses in the borough at any rate, to describe any particular district of the borough, with popular preference turning to the new 19th century 'Park' and 'Wood' estates designated by the railway stations as they all unusually all here formed new parishes. These are Raynes Park, Colliers Wood, part of Motspur Park and flowing from a tube station in the far north, the remainder is commonly known as South Wimbledon.
The from its very beginning, Merton Priory.
It is among less prominent sources of the English surname Merton but is the origin of Merton College, Oxford who had its precursor site (Merton Priory) and their greatest endowment of landholdings here.
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