Shabbat Vayishlach Fri 30 Nov - Sat 1 December 2012

Shabbat VaYishlach

Candle lighting is at twenty to four of the clock. (15:40 )
Shabbat Terminates at 16:52  ( (17:07  Rabbenu Tam time)

Astronomical Sunset today is at 15:55:19

Services in Aldgate:

Bevis Marks Friday Night 6.30 p.m.

Bevis Marks Synagogue Shabbat Morning 08:30 a.m.


Sunday Morning at Bevis Marks: 9 a.m.
Monday and Thursday at Bevis Marks : 7.20 a.m.
Tues, Wed and Fri at Bevis Marks, 7.25 a.m.
The first night of Hannukah is next week, Saturday night.
Minyan Report

Sunday Morning - 8 people
Monday Morning - 9 people - the tenth arrived at 8am, but as we had a very fast service, there was no minyan, as we were finished by 8am. We usually finish at 8.20-8.25 on a Monday or Thursday, and 8.15 on other days.

The Old Artillery Ground after the WhiteChapel Union

Did the Union mean that the vestry of the Old Artillery Ground - its Trustees - cease in all their functions, or did it continue to exist as a separate Civil Parish under the Union?

The following Court Case throws some light onto the nature of the Union, and would suggest that the members of the Union continued in their respective corporate existences, under previous Acts of Parliament governing the respective parishes (or extra-parochial districts, to be precise about the Old Artillery Ground).


The most pertinent section of the discussion is on page 147:

It is quite clear from this that the Union was just that - a Union, with separate 'States' so to speak contained within it. 

Annual Report of the Poor Commissioners discusses the original Local Acts, such as that regulating the Old Artillery Ground. 

Note:

Preferred Name:

WHITECHAPEL

Unit Type:

Poor Law Union/Reg. District

Status:

Poor Law Union (until 1921)
Poor Law Parish (after 1921)
Registration District

Date created:

Date abolished:

1925

Unit ID:

10174661

Authorities:

F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 644.

The Local Government Act 1929 abolished the old Unions.

" Where a board of guardians is a board constituted or acting under a local Act, the functions transferred to the council of the county or county borough under this Part of this Act shall be the functions of a board of guardians under the Poor Law Act, 1927, and not the functions of the board under the local Act."
Thus the functions of the Board of Guardians of the Old Artillery Ground not covered by the Poor Law Act of 1927, presumably were not affected.....

Also, as the Old Artillery was governed by a separate Act, independent of its status as a Liberty of the Tower of London, when the Liberty of the Tower was abolished, did this affect the original Act governing the Old Artillery Ground? Or was the Old Artillery Ground 'forgotten about'? Is it still in statute a 'civil parish'?  it seems clear from the progression of events after the Whitechapel Union, that the civil parish of the Old Artillery Ground was perhaps not abolished per se, and still exists, at least it appears to exist, at least on a ceremonial level? 

Or did the  London Government Act 1899 (62 & 63 Vict. c. 14) abolish the Old Artillery Ground Parish in toto?


Section 4 (1) provided that every elected vestry and district board in the county of London would cease to exist, with the powers, properties and liabilities of the abolished authorities transferring to the metropolitan boroughs.

The question is, did the Old Artillery Ground fall into this category? Was it an elective vestry under the Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c.120) ?

As this act abolished the previous vestry of the overseers of the poor, in the following terms:
The Act of the Session hoi den in the First and Second Years of King William the Fourth, Chapter Sixty, "For the better Regulation of Vestries, and for the Appointment of Auditors of Accounts " in certain Parishes of England and Wales," shall be repealed, from and after the passing of this Act, so far as regards any Parish mentioned in either of the Schedules (A.) and (B.) to this Act: Provided always, that the Vestry and Auditors already elected for any such Parish under the said Act shall continue, to be such Vestry and Auditors until the First Election of Vestrymen and Auditors for such Parish under this Act has taken place, but no longer; and the Provisions of the said Act of King William the Fourth shall continue applicable to every such Vestry and to their Proceedings, and the Books in which, the same are entered, and to such Auditors and their Proceedings accordingly.

However, the question is, was the Vestry of the Old Artillery Ground  elected under the said act, or under its own Local Act? It was elected under the new Act, and the subsequent Metropolis Local Management Act - although the Local Act continues to exist, but hollowed out in its entirety.

This Local Act was not repealed, as is made clear in the legislation. When the Liberty of the Tower was abolished, circa 1900, the local act for the Artillery seems to have not been affected either.


As we can see in the text below from the MMA 1855, it  appears clear that the original Local Acts were not repealed: This paragraph re-appears in the MLMA cited above.

Upon the Petition of the Metropolitan Board of Works, or of any District Board or Vestry, representing to Her Majesty in Council that by reason of the Provisions of any Local Act of Parliament relating to any District or Parish, or any Part thereof respectively, Difficulties have arisen in the Execution of this Act and of such Local Act or either of them, and praying for a Suspension or Alteration of all or any of the Provisions of such Local Act, or for the Establishment of other Provisions in lieu thereof under this Enactment, it shall be lawful for Her Majesty, by Order in Council, to suspend or alter all or any of the Provisions of such Local Act, and to make other Provisions in relation to the Matters thereof as Her Majesty, with the Advice of Her Privy Council, may think necessary under the Circumstances of the Case; and every such Order in Council shall be laid before both Houses of Parliament within One Month after the making thereof, if Parliament be then sitting, or, if Parliament be hot sitting, then Within One Month after the next Meeting of Parliament, and shall be published in the London Gazette: Provided always, that no such Order in Council shall remain in force beyond the Term of One Year from the making thereof.

CAMPUS MARTIUS LONDINIENSIS VETUS

The Historical Origins of the Old Artillery Ground apparently reach back to the Roman City:
The site being the 'Field of Mars' used by the Roman Legions for military training.

The Administrative Area of the Old Artillery

CAMPUS MARTIUS LONDINIENSIS VETUS

Sandy's Row Synagogue is located in the former Liberty of the the Old Artillery Ground.
This was a self governing district, a 'mini-council- of sorts, that was eventually absorbed into the Whitechapel Union by the Commissioners of the Poor.

This was subject to a legal dispute - did the Old Artillery Vestry with its trustees cease to exist for all purposes? In 1837 the Trustees objected to their abolition and absorption into the Whitechapel Union - to no avail.

Interestingly, the neighbouring area, Norton Folgate, appeared to continue to exist after its absorption, with its Trustees still meeting. Did the Trustees of the Old Artillery Ground continue to meet? Minute books up to the 1830's are in the Tower Hamlets Local History Collection. [S.46, S.73, S.80]

We know that when the Whitechapel Union was formed,the parish officers of the Old Artillery Ground refused to co-operate with the new Guardians.


In 1855 the liberty of Norton Folgate became part of the Whitechapel District Board of Works. In 1897 the Whitechapel District Board of Works. In 1897 the trustees contemplated agitating, together with the Old Artillery Ground Liberty, for inclusion in the City, but did not do so. 
One assumes that the Trustees of the Old Artillery Ground still had independent existence in 1897, or how else could they have contemplated merging with the City of London, if they no longer existed in all respects?

It still appears in the Parliamentary Gazetter of 1848 and 1851
It was the smallest administrative area in England bound by statute.

In 1851, the inhabitants of the Old Artillery Ground were still meeting at their vestry rooms, witness this article in the Illustrated London News,1851

" On Wednesday, a meeting of the inhabitants of the Old Artillery Ground, in the Liberty of the Tower of London, was held at the Court-House,Ford Street....on the subject of the land tax payable by that liberty.....while the neighbouring parishes of Shoreditch and Bethnal Green....." seems to indicate the the Liberty of the Old Artillery was still in existence in some form or another as an administrative district as late as 1851.

Past this point in time, the Old Artillery Ground appears to lose its identity as a distinct district.

 In 1900 the liberty of Norton Folgate became merged in the Borough of Stepney and the last meeting of the trustees took place on 24 October of that year.


The detailed discussion can be found here: 
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dIMwAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA43

A copy of the legal discussion follows below:

Here is another discussion of the legal case

Case of 1792

The terms of the original act are laid out here:

Jewish Aldgate on Facebook

About a year before this blog started, Jewish Aldgate kicked off as a Facebook group - but,as Google doesn't index Facebook content, I decided to duplicate the content of the Facebook page over here.
You can find the original FaceBook Group (feel free to join it) here.

Synagoge Groningen

Groningen Synagogue in Holland has repurposed half of the old synagogue as an art gallery and exhibition space - this is separated from the sanctuary by a grille. In some ways, this is similar to the arrangement in place at Sandy's Row, where the hall upstairs is used for exhibitions - although this has not been without controversy - with some people wanting artwork depicting the human figure covered while services are in progress - even though the 'hall' upstairs is separated from the synagogue by a mechitzah.

Groningen was the spiritual heart of Dutch Chazzanuth before the War - many Chazzanim in London who served in the United Synagogue came from Groningen, and of course, the original leaders of the services at Sandy's Row would all have been familiar with the Dutch minhag.

Nowadays, the community in Groningen meets twice monthly, just as we do at Sandy's Row - although at Sandy's Row we hope to gear up to weekly services and Friday night services in the near future.

The Cantors of Groningen also wrote down in musical notation the Dutch Ashkenazi minhag. This resource is being used to reconstruct the musical tradition.

 A revival of sorts of Dutch minhag is currently in progress, with projects in place to record the nusach in audio, so a new generation can learn their heritage.

Portraits at Sandys Row Synagogue

Jeremy Freedman's Photographs at Sandy's Row

Shabbath Vayetze at Bevis Marks and Sandy's Row Minyanim

Shabbath Vayetze Information for Bevis Marks and Sandy's Row Synagogues
Friday 23 November 2012

Candle Lighting is at 3.46 pm
Shabbat terminates at 4:57 pm ( 5:15 pm Rabbenu Tam)

Astronomical Sunset today is at 16:01:03

Services in Aldgate and Spitalfields:

Friday Night at Bevis Marks 06:30pm. Check with the synagogue office as to whether there is a dinner after services, they are currently only held on a monthly basis.

Shabbat morning:
Bevis Marks 08:30am
Sandy's Row 09:30am

Shabbat Mincha at Nelson Street Sephardishe Synagogue after Kiddush.

Sunday Morning:
09:00 am at Bevis Marks

Monday and Thursday: 7:20am
Tues, Wed and Fri at 7:25am

Weekday Shaharith followed by a continental breakfast.

Records of attendance in Aldgate and Spitalfields:

Thursday morning Shaharith at Bevis Marks was attended by 12 gentlemen.
Friday morning Shaharith at Bevis Marks was attended by 4 gentlemen
Friday night at Bevis Marks - Choral Service - attended by 17 people
Shabbat Morning at Bevis Marks - usual Shabbat attendance circa 15 gentlemen and ten ladies.
Shabbat Morning at Sandy's Row Synagogue circa 25 gentlemen and 20 ladies.
Sunday morning at Bevis Marks - 15 gentlemen and 1 lady.
Monday morning at Bevis Marks - 9 gentlemen.
Tuesday morning at Bevis Marks - 10 gentlemen.
Wednesday morning at Bevis Marks - 10 gentlemen
Thursday morning at Bevis Marks Synagogue - 10 gentlemen
Friday morning at Bevis Marks Synagogue - 6 gentlemen

Some More Sandy's Row History

A public controversy erupted over Sandy's Row in the 1870's. The synagogue had leased its premises from
the French Church in Soho Square  - which had had a succession of denominations as occupants since the French Church vacated in the 1780's. The disused church had been called L'Eglise de l'Artillerie, then later it was known as 'Parliament Court Chapel',as the entrance was on Parliament Court.
It was let to the Chevra in 1867.
The cellars were sublet to a warehouse, which had a separate entrance.
After the lease expired, the landlord approved a renewal, on condition the building was repaired - for a further 21 years.
This would have cost about 700 pounds. The 500 members of Sandy's Row requested public support - which lead to a controversy about the independent congregations - known as Chevrahs - of which Sandy's Row was by far the largest.

Sandy'r Row obtained the funds in the end, and the synagogue was remodelled and the lease was renewed.
At this time, the Ark was moved from the NW corner of the synagogue, to the SE side.

There is an article called "The dedication of Sandy's Row Synagogue' in the Jewish Chronicle, no 85 November 11 1870.

In about 1691 Jacques Laborie, a proselyte and possibly a former Roman Catholic priest, opened a French church in Parliament Court, near Artillery Lane, under the name of l'Eglise de l'Artillerie Lane, apparently with the permission of the Archbishop of Canterbury. (ref. 117) 

The church broke up three or four years later because of Laborie's conduct. The greater part of the congregation moved to Crispin Street, and Laborie started a new church in Pearl Street. (ref. 117) 

Their building in Parliament Court was taken over in 1695 by a congregation which had been formed in about 1691 in or near Petticoat Lane. They now took the name of l'Eglise de l'Artillerie, and re mained in Parliament Court until 1786. (ref. 118) 

The freehold of the site was purchased in 1763 (ref. 119) and a new church was built. This building, which survives in a much altered form, was opened on 23 November 1766.

 One of the ministers of the church was Jacob Bourdillon, who took office on Christmas Day, 1731, and served for over fifty years. (ref. 120) In 1770 the congregation entered a union with La Patente, Brown's Lane (see page 191), and in 1786 both churches joined the Walloon church in Threadneedle Street. (ref. 118)

The building in Parliament Court was leased in 1792 to a Universalist Baptist church under Elhanan Winchester of Philadelphia. (ref. 121) When Winchester returned to the United States a few years later, the church was taken over by William Vidler, who had been associated with Winchester since 1794. When Vidler declared himself to be a Unitarian in 1801, a large part of his congregation seceded. (ref. 121) 

Vidler continued to lead a congregation in Parliament Court until his death in 1816. He was succeeded by William Johnson Fox, who in 1824 took the church to Finsbury where it eventually became an Ethical Society. (ref. 122)

In 1824 a congregation of Scottish Baptists under S. Stennett and J. Winning came from Cateaton Street. (ref. 123)

 In 1833 the building was called 'Salem Chapel', (ref. 124) and in 1836 listed as of unspecified denomination. (ref. 125)

In 1867 the French Church in Soho Square (originally the Threadneedle Street Church) leased the chapel in Artillery Lane to a congregation of Dutch Ashkenazi Jews who had been meeting since 1854 in a house in White's Row, and in Zetland Hall, Mansell Street. 

Changes were made to the interior, and a new entrance and vestry provided in Sandy's Row, from the designs of N. S. Joseph. The building was consecrated as a synagogue on 6 November 1870. (ref. 126)

 In 1904 further alterations were made by Lewis Solomon, F.R.I.B.A. (ref. 127) The freehold was purchased by the congregation in 1923. (ref. 126)

The plan of the building is a simple rectangle, forty-eight feet in length east to west and thirty six feet wide, with a gallery extending round the north, south and west sides, reached by open stair cases in the north-west and south-west angles.

 The stock brick exterior is completely utilitarian and of no interest, but the interior is well designed in a style reminiscent of the Great Synagogue in Fournier Street, also built as a French Protestant church. 

Again, the plain plastered walls and the flat ceiling are joined by a quadrant cove springing from a cornice, here with brackets, and there are groined intersections over the arched heads of the windows, four on each side, two at the west end, and three at the east end. 

The gallery front, too, is underlined by a triglyphed frieze, supported by widely-spaced Doric plain-shafted columns. 

The Ark recess, which is modern, forms an eastern apse with a Baroque frontispiece of Corinthian plain-shafted pilasters supporting an entablature, surmounted by an elaborated pediment.

Dutch Ashkenazi Nusach selections for Channukah

Shnei Zeisim - a piyyut said in the Dutch Ashkenazi nusach at Shacharith during the days of Channukah.

Here is another version of Shei Zeisim sung by Rabbi Abraham Krakauer:

Here is a third variation of Shenei Zeisim - this version by Hazzan Heiman, also in the Dutch Ashkenazi nusach. 

Here is the candle lighting and the minhag for Maariv.

Early Map showing Parliament Court, Artillery, off Bishopsgate Street.

The locations of the Tower of London Liberties. The Old Artillery Ground was granted to the Tower by James II. It appears at the top left of this image.

The 1700's map (above) shows the Artillery Ground (50) and Spitalfields (52)

This map (1720) gives more detail than the one above - the basic layout of the streets and houses remains unchanged. The extension of Petticoat Lane that is probably the souther part of the modern Sandy's Row is already built up.

This plan was published in John Strype's 1755 annotated edition of Stowe's 'Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster'. The plan is in four sections. The title appears along the top, with a bird's-eye view of the Tower of London, scale bar and reference tables in the main section on the left of the plate. The compass star features in the middle, with small plans of Marine Square, Little Minories and 'Spittle Fields' on the right of the plate. The word "liberties" in the title refers to the area around the Tower under its independent jurisdiction. Until 1686, the liberties of the Tower were restricted to the area within its walls and the land on Tower Hill. Three territories were added by James II's charter of 1686: the Minories, the Artillery Ground and the Wellclose.

The alley now known as Parliament Court is called "French Alley". It also appears in several directories of London street names from this period, with "Artillery" noted next to it, as there was more than one 'French Alley' in London.

French Alley gets a gruesome mention in 'The London Chronicle' of 1810, (Volume 107):


"Yesterday Sarah Puryer underwent a final examination, being charged with the wilful murder of 

John Purves, her husband, a mat-maker, in French-alley, Shore- ditch, by striking him over the 

head, with a wooden mallet, while he lay in bed"


In Strype's map from the same time period, this alley is not shown: The map on the right is from 1772, and is obviously based heavily on Strype's map. What is now called Sandy's Row is simply shown here as an extension of Petticoat Lane. There is no evidence of 'French Alley' on the map.

The map above (1795) is the first to show 'Sandy Square' but it isn't in the same location as our Sandy's Row, but it still exists (nameless) as an open section of ground at the top of Middlesex Street. It is slated to be turned back into a small square in the new Bishopsgate Plan. The map below (1801) seems to be derived from the one above. Sandy's Row is not names here, but appears to lead off to the north of Sandy's Square, beginning at Frying Pan Alley, as it does today. A structure is marked as a dark square, corresponding to the location of the Eglise de l'Artillerie/ Sandy's Row Synagogue. This is also present on the 1795 map above.

 

The above map of 1767 is rather confused in its street plan, especially around the intersections of Widegate, Artillery and Petticoat Lane. The map below (1799) is more precise.

The map above (1799) clearly shows the Eglise de l'Artillerie, with its entrance on 'Parliament Court',or 'French Alley'.
This is the most accurate street map of the area I have found, until modern maps appear in the early 1900's.


In this 1799 Map, Sandy's Row is called 'Hog Lane'.

Here is a detail view of the plan of the Eglise de l'Artillerie: 

The other church marked on Old Artillery Lane was adapted for use as a synagogue in 1896 and remained in use until 1948. The congregation was then incorporated with the Ezras Chaim Synagogue . It still has the wrought iron gates at each door which I love. The building now houses offices and is called Dome House.

Here is a view of the interior:

Plan of the Artillery Lane Synagogue: