| Administrative History | The Parish is the basic administrative unit of the Church of England. Each Parish has its own church and a priest, known as a Rector or Vicar. Some Parishes have daughter churches, which often develop into Parishes in their own right. there may also be assistant priests known as Curates.
St Mary's, Bexley is one of the six ancient churches lying within the London Borough of Bexley. During the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the Parish was repeatedly subdivided, and new ecclesiastical Parishes created, to provide for the growing population of the area. Until the Local Government Act 1894, the Parish Vestry was responsible for civil functions such as the welfare of the poor and maintenance of highways throughout the ancient parish. By the terms of that Act, these powers were transferred to Bexley Urban District Council. |