County Borough of Leeds
City of Leeds County Borough of Leeds | |
---|---|
Leeds Town Hall | |
Leeds shown within the West Riding in 1971 | |
Area | |
• 1911 | 21,593 acres (8,738 ha) |
• 1931 | 38,105 acres (15,421 ha) |
• 1961 | 40,612 acres (16,435 ha) |
Population | |
• 1911 | 445,550 |
• 1931 | 482,809 |
• 1961 | 510,676 |
Density | |
• 1911 | 21/acre |
• 1931 | 13/acre |
• 1961 | 13/acre |
History | |
• Origin | Leeds ancient borough[1] |
• Created | 1836 |
• Abolished | 1974 |
• Succeeded by | City of Leeds (metropolitan district) |
Status | Municipal borough (1835–1889) County borough (1889–1974) City (1893–1974) |
Government | |
• HQ | Leeds |
• Motto | PRO REGE ET LEGE |
Coat of arms in use until 1921 | |
The County Borough of Leeds, and its predecessor, the Municipal Borough of Leeds, was a local government district in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England, from 1835 to 1974.[2] Its origin was the ancient borough of Leeds, which was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. In 1889, when West Riding County Council was formed, Leeds became a county borough outside the administrative county of the West Riding; and in 1893 the borough gained city status. The borough was extended a number of times, expanding from 21,593 acres (8,738 ha) in 1911 to 40,612 acres (16,435 ha) in 1961; adding in stages the former area of Roundhay, Seacroft, Shadwell and Middleton parishes and gaining other parts of adjacent districts. In 1971 Leeds was the fifth largest county borough by population in England. The county borough was abolished in 1974 and replaced with the larger City of Leeds, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire.
Origins
Manorial borough 1207–1626
The
Incorporated borough (1626–1836)
Incorporation
A charter of incorporation was granted on 13 July 1626, incorporating the entire parish of Leeds St Peter as the "Borough of Leedes in the County of York". The parish and borough consisted of eleven chapelries (
The governing corporation of the borough was styled "The Alderman and Burgesses of the Borough of Leedes in the County of York", and consisted of one Alderman, nine principal burgesses and twenty assistants. The charter named the members of the first corporation, with Sir John Savile becoming the first alderman.[3][6][7]
Charter of Charles II
In January 1643, during the English Civil War, Leeds fell to parliamentary forces. Royalist members of the corporation were replaced with those loyal to the Commonwealth. With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, moves were made to reform the borough's government. The leading merchants of the town submitted a petition to Charles II requesting a new charter as they felt the constitution and operation of the governing body was inadequate to the needs of the town.[3]
A second charter was duly granted on 2 November 1661, with the earlier charter withdrawn.
Municipal borough (1836–1889)
In 1833 the
Leeds was among the 178 boroughs reformed by the act, becoming the "Municipal Borough of Leeds". The reformed borough was initially unchanged in area, and was divided into 12
1835 ward[10] | Townships | No. of councillors | No. of aldermen |
---|---|---|---|
Bramley | Bramley, Armley, Farnley and Beeston | 6 | 2 |
East | Part of Leeds[Note 1] | 3 | 1 |
Headingley | Headingley-cum-Burley, Chapel Allerton, Potternewton | 3 | 1 |
Holbeck | Holbeck and Wortley townships | 6 | 2 |
Hunslet | Hunslet | 3 | 1 |
Kirkgate | Part of Leeds | 3 | 1 |
Mill Hill | Part of Leeds | 6 | 2 |
North | Part of Leeds | 3 | 1 |
North East | Part of Leeds[Note 2] | 3 | 1 |
North West | Part of Leeds | 3 | 1 |
South | Part of Leeds | 3 | 1 |
West | Part of Leeds | 6 | 2 |
It was originally envisaged that the first elections would be held on 1 November 1835, with the reformed town councils holding their first meetings on 9 November following. However, the process of dividing the boroughs into wards and preparing the burgess roll or
Leeds Improvement Act 1842 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 16 July 1842 |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
An early focus of the new authority was on policing and crime, with construction of a new borough prison begun in 1842. The Leeds Improvement Act 1842 (
In 1881 the wards were redrawn, so that the borough comprised sixteen wards. The size of the town council remained the same, however, with each new ward returning one alderman and three councillors.
1881 ward[13] | Townships |
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Armley & Wortley | Part of Wortley (The parts not in New Wortley ward, also known as Upper Wortley and Lower Wortley) |
Bramley | Bramley and Farnley |
Brunswick | Part of Leeds, part of Potternewton |
Central | Part of Leeds |
East | Part of Leeds, part of Templenewsam |
East Hunslet | Part of Hunslet, Part of Holbeck, Part of Beeston |
Headingley | Headingley-cum-Burley, part of Chapel Allerton |
Holbeck | Part of Holbeck, Part of Hunslet, Hunslet (detached): also known as Littletown |
Mill Hill | Part of Leeds |
New Wortley | Part of Wortley (The ecclesiastical district of St John's, New Wortley) |
North | Part of Leeds, part of Potternewton, part of Chapel Allerton |
North East | Part of Leeds, part of Potternewton[Note 1] |
North West | Part of Leeds, part of Potternewton |
South | Part of Leeds, part of Hunslet |
West | Part of Leeds |
West Hunslet | Part of Hunslet, Part of Holbeck, Part of Beeston |
- ^ This ward also included the part of Seacroft township that was in the borough, although it was not named in the Order in Council. In 1894 the area was transferred to Potternewton township.
County borough 1889–1974
The Local Government Act 1888 created elected county councils to administer services throughout England and Wales. Where a municipal borough had a population of more than 50,000 at the 1881 Census it was created a county borough, with the powers and duties of both a borough and county council.[14]
As Leeds had an 1881 population of 309,119 it duly became a county borough on 1 April 1889. The borough, while independent of the West Riding County Council for local government, remained part of the county for purposes such as the administration of justice and
The change of status in 1889 made no change to the boundaries of the borough or the size of the council.
City status and lord mayoralty
Until 1889 the right to the title of "city" in the United Kingdom was linked to the presence of an Anglican cathedral. In that year Birmingham, Dundee and Belfast were granted letters patent raising them to cities by virtue of their population, economic importance and history of good municipal government.
In 1892 another borough in the West Riding, Sheffield, announced that it was seeking the grant of city status to celebrate the
A delegation from Leeds, including two
The Home Secretary forwarded the petitions of both boroughs to The Queen on 3 February, recommending that the honour be granted in both cases as they were the "only towns in the United Kingdom with a population exceeding 300,000 to which the title of City, enjoyed by many smaller of less important places, has not been granted; and that both appear to be well fitted by their loyalty, public spirit, and industrial progress, for this mark of your Majesty's favour."[16]
On 7 February,
The Queen has been pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, bearing date the 13th February 1893, to
ordain and declare that the Borough of Leeds shall be a City, and shall be called and styled "The City of Leeds".[17]
Four years later the
The Queen has been pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date the 12th July, 1897 to ordain that the Chief Magistrate, now, and for the time being, of the City of Leeds, shall be styled Lord Mayor of Leeds.[19]
Parishes to 1912
1 Leeds 2 Osmondthorpe 3 Hunslet 4 Holbeck 5 Armley and Bramley | |
Parishes 1904 – 1912 |
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Townships and chapelries which were separately rated for
In Leeds this was effected by constituting the part of Temple Newsam parish within the city a separate parish of Osmondthorpe, and merging the portion of Seacroft that lay within the municipal boundaries with the existing parish of Potternewton. The number of parishes into which the city was divided was reduced to five in 1904 by the following mergers:[14]
- Armley and Bramley formed from Armley, Bramley and Wortley
- Holbeck (unchanged)
- Hunslet (unchanged)
- Leeds formed from Beeston, Chapel Allerton, Farnley, Headingley cum Burley, Leeds, Potternewton
- Osmondthorpe (unchanged)
1912 extension
The city boundaries remained unchanged from 1836 until 1912. In 1904 the city council applied unsuccessfully to the
The extension took effect on 9 November 1912, with the added areas initially being added to the existing north ward and to the parish of Leeds.[14][22][23]
1920 extension
1 Leeds 2 Osmondthorpe 3 Hunslet 4 Holbeck 5 Armley and Bramley | |
Parishes 1920 – 1925 |
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In 1919 the city council sought another extension, this time to the south, by taking in the parish of Middleton from Hunslet Rural District. The boundary change took effect on 1 April 1920, and Middleton formed a 17th ward, electing 3 councillors and 1 alderman to the city council, which was increased in size accordingly. The parish of Middleton was abolished, with its area added to the existing parish of Hunslet.[24] The extra territory was acquired by the county borough for a major scheme of council housing, the construction of which commenced almost immediately.[25] On 1 April 1925 the five parishes in the county borough were united into a single parish of Leeds.[5]
1928 extension
In 1927 Leeds Corporation promoted a bill to add further areas to the city, namely
In 1930 the wards of the county borough were redrawn, necessitating a general election of the entire city council. Twenty-six wards were created, each returning 3 councillors and 1 alderman. The membership of the council was increased from 68 (51 councillors and 17 aldermen) to 104 (78 councillors and 26 aldermen).[27] The twenty-six wards were as follows:
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On 1 April 1937 the boundary of the county borough with the surrounding areas of the West Riding was adjusted under a county review order. The city exchanged areas with the following districts:[28]
Local government district | Area added to county borough | Area removed from county borough |
---|---|---|
Horsforth Urban District | 98 acres (0.40 km2) | – |
Pudsey Municipal Borough | 3 acres (0.012 km2) | – |
Tadcaster Rural District | 53 acres (0.21 km2) | 34 acres (0.14 km2) |
Wetherby Rural District | 24 acres (0.097 km2) | – |
Wharfedale Rural District | 45 acres (0.18 km2) | 1 acre (0.0040 km2) |
In 1950 the city council petitioned for an alteration in the number and boundaries of the municipal wards, and a consequent change in the number of aldermen and councillors. The petition was successful, with an Order in Council made on 28 July dividing the city into twenty-eight wards:[29]
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The redrawing of wards made a general election of the entire council necessary in May 1951. The new council had a membership of 112: 84 councillors and 28 aldermen.[30]
1957 extension
Following the
Metropolitan borough
The 1972 legislation came into effect on 1 April 1974, with the county borough ceasing to exist at midnight on 31 March. The county borough's area was combined with that of the
References
- ^ Great Britain Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Leeds ancient borough. Retrieved 16 September 2009. Archived 25 December 2012 at archive.today
- ^ Great Britain Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Leeds MB/CB. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Robinson, Percy (1896). Relics of Old Leeds. London: B T Batsford. pp. 9–17.
- ^ ISBN 0-7190-0781-X.
- ^ a b c Great Britain Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Leeds parish. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
- ^ a b c Lewis, Samuel, ed. (1848). "Leeds (St. Peter)". A Topographical Dictionary of England. British History Online. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Historical notes" (PDF). Leeds City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
- ^ "Corporations". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 14 February 1833. Retrieved 19 February 2009.
- ^ Municipal Corporations Act, 1835 (5 & 6 Will. 4 c. 76), Sch. A
- ^ "No. 19332". The London Gazette. 7 December 1835. pp. 2346–2348.
- ^ Order in Council dated 11 September 1835, reproduced in Chapman, Henry S. (1835). The Act for the Regulation of Municipal Corporations in England and Wales. London: Charles Ely. p. 154.
- ISBN 0-7185-1176-X.
- ^ "No. 24970". The London Gazette. 6 May 1881. pp. 2178–2181.
- ^ ISBN 0-86193-127-0.
- ^ Local Government Act 1888 (32 & 33 Vict. c.49) s.31 "Each of the boroughs named in the Third Schedule to this Act being a borough which on the first day of June one thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight, either had a population of not less than fifty thousand, or was a county of itself shall, from and after the appointed day, be for the purposes of this Act an administrative county of itself, and is in this Act referred to as a county borough. Provided that for all other purposes a county borough shall continue to be part of the county (if any) in which it is situate at the passing of this Act"
- ^ ISBN 0-7546-5067-7.
- ^ "No. 26374". The London Gazette. 21 February 1893. p. 944.
- ^ "The Diamond Jubilee Honours". The Times. 22 June 1897. p. 10.
The Queen has been pleased to direct that the Chief Magistrates of the cities of Leeds and Sheffield shall in future bear the title of Lord Mayor
- ^ "No. 26872". The London Gazette. 13 July 1897. p. 3895.
- ^ a b "Leeds Borough Boundaries". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 16 May 1912. Retrieved 24 September 2009.
- ^ "Scheme for The Extension of Leeds". The Times. 11 January 1912. p. 10.
- ^ a b "Greater Leeds". The Times. 6 May 1912. p. 13.
- ^ Local Government Board's Provisional Orders Confirmation (No.12) Act 1912 (2 & 3 Geo.5 c.cxxxviii)
- ^ Leeds Corporation Act 1919 (9 & 10 Geo.5 c.liii)
- ^ Freeman, Thomas Walter (1959). The Conurbations of Great Britain. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 172.
- ^ "No. 33224". The London Gazette. 26 November 1926. p. 7731.
- ^ "The Municipal Elections". The Times. 3 November 1930. p. 17.
- ^ Great Britain Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Leeds CB/MB through time. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ "No. 38997". The London Gazette. 18 August 1950. p. 4225.
- ^ "Elections". The Times. 12 May 1951. p. 4.
- ^ Report of the Local Government Boundary Commission for the year 1947
- ^
Wise, M. J.; Senior, D. (December 1969). ": The Future of Local Government in England: The Redcliffe-Maud Report". The Geographical Journal. 135 (4). Blackwell Publishing: 583–587. JSTOR 1795107.
- ^ ISBN 0-7190-0781-X.
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