Records of the Parish of St Saviour

The records of St Saviour's parish include vestry minutes 1855-1900, Poor Law records 1774-1868, Overseers' Rating and Valuation records 1748-1900, Charities Records 1815-1849, records of the Baths Commissioners of the Parish 1892-1900, records of the Library Commissioners of the Parish 1892-1900, records of the Burial Board of the Parish 1852-1900, Records of the Clink Paving Comissioners including Lists of Commissioners 1786-1855, Minutes of the Clink Paving Commissioners 1786-1856, Rating Records 1786-1855, Financial records 1786-1855, Public Works records 1786-1855, Legal Case papers 1792-1856, Letter Books 1833-1855 (with gaps), Records of Properties 1787-1852, Papers on Records 1812-1855

The parish and Southwark as a whole was part of the County of Surrey before 1889, it then became part of London with the formation of The London County Council. (Please see Surrey History Centre and London Metropolitan Archives for records not kept at Southwark Local History Library and Archive).

This was the principal parish of the old town of Southwark, which was formed in 1540 by the merger of the medieavel parishes of St Margaret and St Mary Magdalen Overy. An Act in that year gave the new parish the use of the former Priory Church of St Mary Overy and set up a Corporation of Wardens to run the parish. In 1856 the parish did not become a recognised Vestry under the Metropolis Local Management Act, but survived for certain purposes only alongside a new St Saviours Board of Works. In 1855 it was grouped with Southwark Christchurch into the St Saviour's District of the Metropolis. It became part of the County of London in 1889. The Saviour's District was abolished in 1900 and Southwark St Saviour became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark. The parish was absorbed by Southwark in 1930. The civil parish and the local Board of Works were both superseded by the Metropolitan Borough of Southwark in 1900, but the Corporation of Wardens continued to exist to administer charities. Many of the older parish records were kept by the Corporation of Wardens and were later deposited in the Greater London Record Office (now London Metropolitan Archives). The Clink Paving Commissioners were set up by an Act in 1786 to pave, clean, light and watch the streets of the Clink Liberty, which formed the greater part of the parish of St Saviour, Southwark. The Commissioners were supersed by the St. Saviour's District Board of Works in 1856.