Facts about Camberwell
Camberwell History
Camberwell appears in the Domesday Book as Cambrewelle. The name may derive from the Old English Cumberwell or Comberwell, meaning ‘Well of the Britons’, referring to remaining Celtic inhabitants of an area dominated by Anglo-Saxons. An alternative theory suggests the name may mean ‘Cripple Well’. Therefore, the settlement developed as a hamlet where people from the City of London were expelled when they had a contagious disease like leprosy.
It was already a substantial settlement with a church when mentioned in the Domesday Book, and was the parish church for a large area including Dulwich and Peckham. It was held by Haimo the Sheriff. Its Domesday assets were: 6 hides and 1 virgate. 1 church, 8 ploughs, 63 acres of meadow, woodland worth 60 hogs. It rendered £14.
General Info
Camberwell is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is located 2.7 miles southeast of Charing Cross. Camberwell was first a village associated with the church of St Giles and a common of which Goose Green is a remnant. This early parish included the neighbouring hamlets of Peckham, Dulwich, Nunhead, and part of Herne Hill.
Until 1889, it was part of the county of Surrey. In 1900 the original parish became the Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell. In 1965, most of the Borough of Camberwell was merged into the London Borough of Southwark. To the west, part of both West Dulwich and Herne Hill come under the London Borough of Lambeth.
