Some articles by Prebendary Arthur Royall

13 October 1919 - 17 June 2013

Mainly family history & historical items from the East End of London

Royall Family History

The Surname Royall and its variants
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"My research of the surname ROYALL began in Norfolk the county in which my family has its roots. I quickly realised that in the earlier registers the spelling RYAL(L) was as common as ROYAL(L). It was not long before I discovered other variant spellings of the name, not only in Norfolk, but elsewhere in the country."

For Those in Peril in the Sea
or "Will you have the Lobster, Sir?"
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"Operation LADBROKE was the code name given to the part to be played by the 1st British Air Landing Brigade in the invasion of Sicily on the night of 9th/10th July 1943. "

A North African Train Journey
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"From an early age trains, especially steam trains, have fascinated me as they fascinate men of all ages, even those who were born after the 'steam age'... My particular train journey was undertaken in 1943, it was made in North Africa, was cost free, and its destination could not be guaranteed."

"Arnhem September 1944. The bridge too far.
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"At last we were briefed for the operation that did take place, MARKET GARDEN involving three airborne divisions with the British 1st Airborne being allocated the capture and holding of the Bridge at Arnhem, which turned out to be "The Bridge too Far'."

The Elvin-Chaney, Harvey-Royall Connection
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"My parents Harry and Gertrude who were born not many miles apart (in Norfolk), met in Croydon at the home of Jack and Maria , he being my father's uncle and she being my mother's aunt."

 

Local History

The Parish Clerks of London
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"Originally, the Parish Clerk was in minor orders, he was primarily concerned with the worship in the parish church and sometimes, in some places, with the education of its children. In a grant of arms made to the Company in 1482, aspergilia indicates that the sprinkling of holy water was one of his specific liturgical duties."

The Buildings
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"The Buildings or to give them their full title Portman Buildings were in Lisson Grove, St Marylebone and they were the most prominent building in the area. They were situated about a third of a mile from the Grove’s junction with the Marylebone Road."

The Streets of Poplar
© Prebendary Arthur Royall
"The street-names of Greater London are of all kinds and of all periods, preserving old place- names or even field names, and ranging from the names of noble landlords, their relatives and possessions, to names of inns and inn-keepers, builders, battles and games, convents and theatres, men famous and obscure."

More Streets of Poplar
© Prebendary Arthur Royall
"I now venture to offer a second helping hoping that it will be equally acceptable. All the Streets and Places mentioned are within the boundaries of the old Municipal Borough of Poplar which was created in 1900 from the three parishes of Bromley St. Leonard, Bow and Poplar. "

Charlie Brown's Funeral.
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"Charlie Brown's was undoubtedly the most famous pub in the East End. The Railway Tavern was the pubs official name, but nobody ever used it; it was universally known, simply as Charlie Brown's."

St. Katharines By The Tower
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"Beyond the Tower are the Docks named after St. Katharine. They are so named to commemorate an ancient monument and a modern act of vandalism more disgraceful perhaps than any of those acts by which things ancient and precious have been destroyed."

Marriages for Free © Prebendary Arthur Royall

"The new Vicar of St. James the Great, which is not to be confused with St. James the less which served a more up market area of Bethnal Green adjoining Victoria Park, was shocked to discover that many couples living together in his parish were unmarried."

St. Gabriel, South Bromley. Chrisp Street, Poplar.
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"Between 1916 and 1935, when Lambert was Vicar of St.Gabriel, South Bromley, this church, hidden away in slums between East India Dock Road and Bow Road, became notorious as a hot bed of underground episcopal activities."

St. Michael and All Angels South Bromley
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"The Parish of St.Michaels created in 1864 was the only one of the six parishes created out of the ancient parish of Bromley-by-Bow to survive the London Diocesan post-war reorganisation of 1952."

St. George-in-the-East
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

"This Hawksmoor Church was built to serve the needs of a well to-do suburb, inhabited by such respectable people as ship owners and ships masters. Few, if any of those involved in establishing this parish, and building a church designed by Hawksmoor, could have imagined that within 150 years the area had deteriorated to becoming one of the most terrible slums of Victorian London."

Gilbert Shaw and The Sidney
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

Father Gilbert Shaw came to Poplar in July 1932 to work among the unemployed ... Poplar Deanery Unemployed Centre .. The Sidney a disused pub at 6 Woolmore Street ... Gilbert played a leading part in the Hanbury Street rent strike of 1939.

Old Palace - Bromley By Bow
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

When I first arrived in Poplar it was some weeks before I became aware of Old Palace School, I wondered at the name and then passed by...

Bow Creek
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

When I arrived in Poplar in 1984 I set about scanning a reasonably detailed map of the parish to see where its boundaries ran and what was contained within them. I was intrigued by the locality on the far eastern edge of the parish of All Saints Poplar.

East London Churches with Dates of Consecration (and bombing)
© Prebendary Arthur Royall

Bethnal Green, Stepney, Poplar Blitzed Churches

 Links

The East of London Family History Society

The Brunswick Story by Arthur Royall "For me personally the Brunswick story began on Tuesday 26th September 1944 at Arnhem in Holland, where, in the early morning I became a prisoner of war."

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use the site you are agreeing to the use of cookies. More Info