It took its name from the Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields and was within the Liberty of Westminster.

In 1542, it gained the "lands between the church of St Clement Danes and the Palace of Westminster" from the parish of Westminster St Margaret.

Under the Metropolis Management Act 1855, any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such, the incorporated vestry of St Martin in the Fields was divided into three wards (electing vestrymen): No.

[4][5] In 1896, as the population of the parish had increased, the incorporated vestry was re-divided into three new wards (electing vestrymen): Park (15), Long Acre (12) and Embankment (9).

The St Martin in the Fields Vestry was replaced by Westminster City Council, and the vestry hall became Westminster City Hall.