Peckham

Coordinates: 51°28′17″N 0°03′45″W / 51.4714°N 0.0625°W / 51.4714; -0.0625

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 had a population of 11,381.

History

"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 the Bishop of Bayeux. Its Domesday assets were: 2 hides. It had land for 1 plough, 2 acres (8,100 m²) of meadow. It rendered £1 10s 0d (£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.

Peckham (UK Parliament constituency)

Peckham was a borough constituency in South London which returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Elections were held using the first-past-the-post voting system.

It was created for the 1885 general election and abolished for the 1997 general election, when it was replaced by the new constituency of Camberwell and Peckham.

History

The constituency was, by the time of its abolition, a safe Labour seat. It was held for the last thirteen years of its existence by Harriet Harman, who went on to become the deputy leader of the Labour Party.

Boundaries

1918-1950: The Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell wards of Clifton, Goldsmith, Nunhead, Rye Lane, St Mary's, and The Rye.

1950-1974: The Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell wards of Addington, Clifton, Cobourg, Goldsmith, Marlborough, North Peckham, St George's, St Giles, St Mary's, The West, and Town Hall.

1974-1983: The London Borough of Southwark wards of Brunswick, Burgess, Consort, Faraday, Friary, Newington, and St Giles.

Peckham (disambiguation)

Peckham may refer to any one of the following:

Places

People