Evolution of Worcestershire county boundaries since 1844
The administrative boundaries of Worcestershire, England have been fluid for over 150 years since the first major changes in 1844. There were many detached parts of Worcestershire in the surrounding counties, and conversely there were islands of other counties within Worcestershire. The 1844 Counties (Detached Parts) Act began the process of eliminating these, but the process was not completed until 1966, when Dudley was absorbed into Staffordshire.
The expansion of
Hereford & Worcester was re-divided into the separate counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in 1998. Since that time Worcestershire's boundaries have not changed. Redditch opted to join the West Midlands Combined Authority as an associate 'non-constituent' member in October 2015, although this will not affect the borough's status within Worcestershire.
Boundaries before 1844
The See of Worcester
The shiring of the See of Worcester also led to the formation of Gloucestershire - initially centred along the Severn Vale and Vale of Berkeley, through to the Mouth of the Severn.[7] In the east, Arden became part of Warwickshire, and Winchcombeshire straddled an area bounded by the River Avon, Vale of Evesham and the Cotswold Hills.[8] Winchcombeshire's existence was short-lived, and most of its parishes were absorbed into Gloucestershire upon dissolution. However, by the time of Domesday, some of Winchcombeshire's hypothesised former parishes were surveyed as detached exclaves of Worcestershire's Oswaldslow hundred.[9][10][11]
The High Sheriff of Staffordshire
By the time of Domesday, many of Worcestershire's exclaves in the south-east of the shire were already established. Meanwhile, to the north; during
It is not known exactly how much territory of Worcestershire was seized by Æfic and his successors in the late Anglo-Saxon period. The emergence of exclaves and enclaves in and around North Worcestershire, was in tandem with the appearance of Oswaldslow's exclaves to the south-east of the shire.
More parishes and manors changed hands over the coming decades through conquest or as 'gifts', some becoming enclaves within adjoining jurisdictions. The aftermath of the
Worcestershire's Hundreds
The early story of Worcestershire's initial twelve hundreds – Came, Clent, Cresselau, Cuthburgelow (Cuthbergehlawe), Doddingtree, Esch, Fishborough (Fisseberge), Pershore (along with the Abbot of Westminster's unnamed double hundred of displaced lands[16]), Winburgetreow, and Wulfereslaw, is largely unknown, including when they were established.[17] Cuthburgelow, Winburgetreow and Wulfereslaw became the triple-hundred of Oswaldslow by 1086,[17] administering the lands long held by the Bishop of Worcester and Priory.[18] Pershore's lands had been granted to the Abbot of Westminster during the reign of Edward the Confessor, thus becoming a triple-hundred.[19] Halfshire or Dimidii Comitatus de Wych[20][21] (Half of Wych(e)) was formed before 1175–76;[22] from an amalgamation of Came, Esch (except the possessions of Evesham Abbey, which became part of Blakenhurst) and the remnants of Clent, and consisted of land primarily owned by the Crown and Ansculf de Picquigny's successors. Halfshire was also known as the hundred of Dudley in 1275.[23][24] Doddingtree also belonged to the Crown,[25] whilst Fishborough/Fisseberge became known as Blakenhurst, who had a constant struggle to retain its lands from theft and conquest.[26] In seven of the shires twelve hundreds the Crown and its designated official, the High Sheriff of Worcestershire, had no authority. The Crown's authority was replaced by the Bishop of Worcester and the Abbots at Pershore, Westminster and Evesham.[27] This situation caused challenges within the legal framework and as acts of aggression where land was seized by force, or theft.[28][29] The gradual amalgamation of the initial twelve hundreds into five, plus the changing ownership of parishes and manors over the centuries created a very fractured layout.[30][31]
Warley Wigorn, Cradley and Bewdley
From the 11th Century; Halesowen Parish (or Hala) was gifted to the
Cradley was also retained by Worcestershire, along with the hamlet of Lutley which was held by the "Canons of Wolverhampton".[35][36] Other anomalies include the status of Bewdley, which was not formally in Worcestershire or Salop in the 15th century (despite being recorded as part of Worcestershire in the 14th Century), thus becoming a focus for criminals fleeing justice in either county. In 1544, Bewdley was formally designated part of Worcestershire.[37][38]
Exclaves and enclaves
As stated earlier, Worcestershire had an unusually large number of exclaves inside nearby counties, prior to 1844 (see Fig 2). This relationship with neighbouring counties mirrored the confusing and fragmented layout of parishes within Worcestershire's own hundreds (see images and table below). Meanwhile, Herefordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Shropshire had their own exclaves within the main part of Worcestershire at Rochford,[39] Broome,[40] Clent,[41] Tardebigge (Tutnall and Cobley)[42] and Halesowen respectively. Tardebigge's history outside the county is even more colourful, changing hands from Worcestershire to Staffordshire and Warwickshire, before returning to Worcestershire at differing times over the centuries.[43]
-
Fig 2: The County of Worcestershire (1832)
-
Fig 2A: North West Worcestershire
-
Fig 2B: North Worcestershire
-
Fig 2C: South and South East Worcestershire
Fig | Exclave/enclave | County (before 1844) | Year and county of transfer | Government legislation | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2C | Alderminster | Worcestershire | 1931 – Warwickshire | Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931 | |
2C | Alstone, including Alderton | Worcestershire | 1844 – Gloucestershire | Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 | |
2C | Blockley, including Paxford and Aston Magna | Worcestershire | 1931 – Gloucestershire | Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931 | |
2B | Broome | Staffordshire | 1844 – Worcestershire | Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 | |
2B | Clent | Staffordshire | 1844 – Worcestershire | Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 | |
2C | Cutsdean | Worcestershire | 1931 – Gloucestershire | Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931 | |
2C | Daylesford | Worcestershire | 1931 – Gloucestershire | Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931 | |
2B | Dudley, including Netherton | Worcestershire | 1966 – Staffordshire | West Midlands Order 1965 | |
2A | Edvin Loach | Worcestershire | 1893 – Herefordshire | Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act 1882 | |
2C | Evenlode | Worcestershire | 1931 – Gloucestershire | Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931 | |
2B | Ridgacre, Romsley and Warley Salop † |
Shropshire | 1844 – Worcestershire | Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 | |
2C | Icomb | Worcestershire | 1844 – Gloucestershire | Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 | |
2A | Rochford | Herefordshire | 1844 – Worcestershire | Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 | |
2C | Shipston-on-Stour | Worcestershire | 1931 – Warwickshire | Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931 | |
2B | Tardebigge (Tutnall and Cobley) | Warwickshire | 1844 – Worcestershire | Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 | |
2C | Tidmington | Worcestershire | 1931 – Warwickshire | Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931 | |
2C | Tredington | Worcestershire | 1931 – Warwickshire | Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931 | |
2B | Warley Wigorn† | Worcestershire | N/A | N/A |
† Warley Wigorn and Warley Salop were amalgamated to form a new parish of Warley (1884–1908).
Evolution and revolution
A gradual divergence was taking place with the city and towns of the county. Worcester was largely autonomous, but the city became a
Elsewhere in the Halfshire hundred similar integration was taking place with the Warwickshire town of Birmingham, whom was expanding considerably to the south and east of its historic centre. The rapid urbanisation of Halfshire's northern border, along with the industrial expansion at Kidderminster and Stourbridge was in stark contrast with Oswaldslow, which was mainly rural. Worcester was still confined within its medieval boundaries,[50] despite experiencing considerable industrial growth and population expansion. In light of these pressures; Worcester eventually incorporated the surrounding Oswaldslow parishes of the county in 1837[51] and 1885.[52]
The role of local government was also changing considerably, and new single-purpose subdivisions were emerging, such as
Name of hundred | Number of divisions | Parish / place name |
---|---|---|
Blakenhurst | 2 | |
Doddingtree | 2 | Tenbury
|
Halfshire | 2 | Warley Wigorn
|
Oswaldslow | 3 | |
Pershore | 2 | Alderminster, Broadway, Castlemorton, Eckington, Flyford Flavell, Hanley Castle, Leigh, Martin Hussingtree, Newland, Peopleton, Pershore, Pinvin, Powick. Severn Stoke, Strensham, Upton Snodsbury, Wyre Piddle, Yardley |
The main township part of St. John in Bedwardine parish was incorporated into the City of Worcester in 1837.[55]
Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844
The
Civil Parishes
Historically; the division into ancient parishes was linked to the
Political Reform
By the 1880s there was increasing pressure to reform the structure of English counties and the question of county government had become a major political issue. Both the
1888–1958
Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 created the
Local Government Act 1894
The hundreds were replaced by a new district council formation of either
Birmingham, Oldberrow, Upper Arley and Edvin Loach (1891–1911)
Within a short time after the 1888 Act, Worcestershire's northern external boundaries began to alter (See Fig 5). The district of
The continuous expansion of Birmingham city has been a large contributory factor to Worcestershire's fluid boundary changes and associated housing issues.
Expansion of Dudley and Smethwick (1926–1928)
The compact size of
A similar housing and land shortage existed in nearby
The housing and land shortage within Smethwick continued after
Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931
The Counties (Detached parts) Act 1844 was originally designed to eradicate exclaves or 'islands' and amalgamate the area with the surrounding county; Worcestershire however, still possessed many 'outliers' to the south east. This was before enactment of the Provisional Order Confirmation (Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) Act 1931 which nearly completed the task of amalgamating Worcestershire's islands into their surrounding county, except for Dudley.
The outliers were not the only boundary realignments as part of the Act. The south western tip of Worcestershire at
Local Government Boundary Commission (1945–1949)
The Local Government Boundary Commission proposed radical changes to the local government structures during 1948. The plans included merging Worcestershire with Herefordshire to form a new administrative unit, except Dudley and Oldbury which would become part of a new "Stafford South" county.[89] Worcester and Dudley would remain as county boroughs, however some services would be carried out by the respective county council.[90] While the commission's proposals were abandoned, revised proposals for a combined Herefordshire & South Worcestershire county were to surface twenty years later.
Local Government Act 1958
Over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries; Birmingham and the Black Country were coalescing into a single extensive conurbation, spanning across Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire. This expansion saw further economic and physical integration with neighbouring towns and communities. This process became more prominent due to growing housing issues, extensive bombing during World War II, slum clearance, and continuing migration into urban areas. The Black Country contained a combination of county boroughs, urban districts, municipal boroughs and county councils (See Fig 8) taking responsibility for services, which resulted in a fragmented local government infrastructure. The Local Government Act 1958 appointed a Local Government Commission to review administrative structures and boundaries in England outside London. The Act designated a West Midlands Special Review Area,[91] whose recommendations would ultimately form the West Midlands Order 1965 legislation. A second report known as the West Midlands General Review looked into the administrative authorities within the wider region, including the remainder of Worcestershire.[92]
West Midlands Special Review Area
The commission made its report in July 1961. It recommended that the Black Country area should be administered by large county boroughs, and that the remaining urban districts or municipal boroughs be merged into these authorities. The original county council's responsibilities for services within the majority of the conurbation were curtailed and association with the historic shire was for ceremonial purposes only. The West Midlands Special Review Area included Dudley, Oldbury, Stourbridge and Halesowen (as per Fig. 8). The latter two council areas were not incorporated into a county borough, as part of the eventual West Midlands Order 1965. Halesowen was proposed to be included within an enlarged Smethwick County Borough, but a successful campaign entitled "Hands off Halesowen" orchestrated by a non-partisan group called the "Halesowen Independence Committee" helped stop the plans.[93]
Meanwhile, the second report into the West Midland General Review area was also delivered in July 1961 and a proposal for Worcester to lose its county borough status[94] was not implemented.[95]
West Midlands Order 1965
In April 1966, Dudley expanded beyond its historical boundaries and took in the surrounding Staffordshire districts of Sedgley,
Amblecote and Redditch New Town
During these reorganisations, the territory of the county council grew only where Stourbridge took in the majority of
Highters Heath, lying to the north of Wythall, was transferred to Birmingham in 1966, along with a few residential areas around Maypole.[106]
Redcliffe-Maud Report (1966–1969)
Under the Labour Government of 1964 to 1970; the Redcliffe-Maud Report (Cmnd. 4040) recommended the abolition of all existing county, county borough, borough, urban district and rural district councils and replacement with new authorities. These new unitary (i.e. single tier) authorities were largely based on major towns, which acted as regional employment, commercial, social and recreational centres and took into account local transport infrastructure and travel patterns.[107]
The proposals for the county included a considerable loss of territory to a proposed "West Midlands Metropolitan Area", as per Fig 10. Stourbridge was including in the planned Metropolitan District of Dudley, while West Bromwich-Warley proposed to include Halesowen, and a district known as North Worcestershire planned to incorporate Bewdley, Bromsgrove, Kidderminster, Redditch and Stourport-on-Severn. The remaining part of central and southern Worcestershire (including Worcester), would be amalgamated with Herefordshire to form a new administrative unit. All of these areas would exist under an overarching "West Midlands Provincial Council" covering the entire region in a devolved capacity.[108] The Conservative party won the 1970 general election and committed to a two-tier system in local government. In 1971 a further White Paper entitled Local Government in England: Government Proposals for Reorganisation (Cmnd 4584), which ultimately led to the 1974 re-organisation saw a great deal of Redcliffe-Maud's recommendations discontinued.
Halesowen, Stourbridge and Malvernshire (1971–1974)
The Local Government in England: Government Proposals for Reorganisation (Cmnd 4584)
Stourbridge would be incorporated into an enlarged Dudley administrative unit, plus Halesowen would join Warley and West Bromwich. During the debates associated with the Local Government Bill,
Originally the combined authority was to be called Malvernshire and this term was used in the early Local Government Bill debates and statistics.[113][114] By the time the Bill became law, the new administrative unit became Hereford and Worcester.[115][116]
The 'Local Government Act 1972' legislated for the functions of local government within Worcestershire to be transferred to the new administrative counties of 'Hereford and Worcester' or 'West Midlands'. However; The Act (and subsequent local government legislation) did not legislate the abolition of the historic county of Worcestershire, but only the transfer of its functions to the successor bodies.[117]
County of West Midlands
The West Midlands Special Review and subsequent West Midlands Order 1965 legislation could be defined as the first real attempt by Government, at creating a unified Black Country for administrative purposes, albeit under the county borough system. Fig 9 - demonstrates that a Proto - West Midlands County appeared to be in existence eight years before the metropolitan county was formally established, if Birmingham and Solihull were also factored in. Although not all areas of the West Midlands conurbation were incorporated into a county borough. The Local Government Act 1972 legislated for a new metropolitan administrative unit to be known as the
The
Hereford and Worcester (1974–1998)
Legislation from the Local Government Act 1972 came into force on 1 April 1974, which saw most of the county amalgamated with Herefordshire and Worcester City to form a single non-metropolitan county of "Hereford and Worcester".
Fig 12: The new county was divided into nine districts:
Map | No | District | Composition |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Wyre Forest |
Worcestershire: Bewdley, Kidderminster, Stourport, Kidderminster RD | |
2 | Bromsgrove | Worcestershire: Bromsgrove, Bromsgrove RD | |
3 | Redditch | Worcestershire: Redditch | |
4 | Wychavon | Worcestershire: | |
5 | Worcester | Worcestershire: County Borough of Worcester, Warndon from Droitwich RD, St Peter the Great County from Pershore RD | |
6 | Malvern Hills |
Worcestershire: Malvern, Martley RD, Upton RD
Herefordshire: Bromyard RD, Ledbury RD | |
7 | Leominster | Worcestershire: Tenbury RD
Herefordshire: Kington, Leominster, Kington RD, Leominster and Wigmore RD, Weobley RD | |
8 | Hereford | Herefordshire: Hereford | |
9 | South Herefordshire | Herefordshire: Ross-on-Wye, Bore and Bredwardine RD, Hereford RD, Ross and Whitchurch RD |
Review of the West Midlands (City of Birmingham) Boundaries with Bromsgrove (Hereford and Worcester)
The last territory exchange between the West Midlands County and Hereford & Worcester or its successor administrative authority occurred along sections of the Birmingham and Bromsgrove district boundary.
These boundary changes were relatively minor in comparison to previous transfers.
Solihull Ratepayers' Association Proposals
Local Government Boundary Commission Report no. 682 "Review of the Metropolitan Counties - The West Midlands Borough of Solihull: Boundaries with the City of Birmingham and with the Counties of Warwickshire and Hereford & Worcester" noted proposals advocated by the "Solihull Ratepayers' Association". These proposals included a transfer of Wythall, Hollywood and Drakes Cross to Solihull, along with adjoining Earlswood and Tanworth-in-Arden from Warwickshire. These proposals were rejected by the commission.[136]
Local Government Act 1992
Following the
Various options were put to consultation, including:
Concept | Description |
---|---|
Six Unitary Authorities | A single unitary authority for Herefordshire and five Worcestershire unitary authorities based on the District Council boundaries. Preference of Hereford & Worcester Association of District Councils |
Three Ridings | Three unitary authorities in Herefordshire, North Worcestershire (Bromsgrove, Redditch & Wyre Forest) and South Worcestershire (Malvern, Worcester, Wychavon). This idea was supported by Wychavon D.C. |
Alternative Three Ridings | The 'Greater Herefordshire' idea of a Herefordshire unitary authority, complete with Malvern Hills and Leominster districts in their entirety and two Worcestershire unitary authorities based on the North (Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest) and South (Worcester and Wychavon). Preference of Malvern Hills District Council and supported by Leominster District Council. |
Hybrid | A unitary Herefordshire and two tier Worcestershire, based on pre-1974 boundaries (excluding Stourbridge & Halesowen). Recommended by Hereford & Worcester County Council |
Two Unitary Authorities | A unitary authority for both Herefordshire and Worcestershire. This was put forward by the commission as an alternative structure to the final recommendation |
Other ideas put forward and discounted before the consultation stage included a complete restoration of the pre-1974 Worcestershire county boundary. This option included Stourbridge and Halesowen, as they were under the jurisdiction of Worcestershire County Council until 1 April 1974. The LGBCE deemed that this Local Government review did not include metropolitan counties (except a one-off review of Sefton on Merseyside[138]), so there would be no change to the boundaries of Dudley Metropolitan Borough.
The Local Government Boundary Commission recommended that Hereford & Worcester should be split into three unitary authorities centred on Herefordshire, North Worcestershire and South Worcestershire.[139] However, Parliament chose the hybrid unitary and two-tier option instead, resulting in the abolition of the county of Hereford & Worcester.[139]
New Worcestershire (1998 to present)
Hereford and Worcester County Council ceased to exist on 1 April 1998[140] and was replaced by the new non-metropolitan, administrative and ceremonial county of Worcestershire. The new county regained its historic border with Herefordshire, which became a unitary authority.
The former "Hereford & Worcester" districts of Redditch, Worcester, Bromsgrove, Wychavon and Wyre Forest were retained with little or no change. The Leominster and Malvern Hills districts crossed over the historic border, so a new Malvern Hills district was created from the parts of those two districts within the restored Worcestershire boundaries. The external boundaries of the new county are shown in Fig 14; they have not altered since the 1998 split.
Following the abolition of the county of Hereford & Worcester some cross-boundary organisations and resources remain shared by the two counties. These include waste management, the youth offending service,
The
Devolution
There has been intense media debate and discussion throughout 2014 and 2015 about possible 'Combined Authorities' within the West Midlands region.[145][146][147][148][149][150] The new body became known as the West Midlands Combined Authority[151][152] and was formally established on 17 June 2016.[153] The Local Government Chronicle stated that Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest have been invited to form part of the combined authority, because of their membership of the 'Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership'.[152][154][155][156] So far; Redditch is the only Worcestershire authority to join the new combined authority as an associate 'non-constituent' member,[157][158] while Bromsgrove and Wyre Forest opted not to join "at this time".[159] Councillor Simon Geraghty (current leader of Worcestershire County Council) also stated that the county has no plans to join the combined authority,[160] but previously refused to rule out a change of consensus, if it is felt that Worcestershire is getting left behind.[161]
The possibility of a Worcestershire combined authority, focusing on four key areas of "transport, infrastructure planning, skills development and land planning" has been mooted by local media and politicians,[162][163][164][165] but has yet to be ratified by government or established.[160]
Historic county revival
Separately, the
As part of the growing recognition of historic counties in recent years, a flag for Worcestershire was created and registered with the Flag Institute in April 2013 following a competition held by BBC Hereford & Worcester.[171][172]
A unitary future?
The subsequent
Statistics
The table below features official statistics from the
The current population of Worcestershire is estimated at 566,200 people, according to the
Census year | Worcestershire area size (Ac/km2) | Total Population | Total Male | Total Female |
---|---|---|---|---|
1801 | N/A | 139,333 | 67,631 | 71,702 |
1811 | N/A | 160,546 | 78,033 | 82,513 |
1821 | N/A | 184,424 | 90,259 | 94,165 |
1831 | 459,710 (1,860.4) | 211,365 | 103,383 | 107,982 |
1841 | 459,710 (1,860.4) | 233,484 | 114,753 | 118,731 |
1851 | 472,165 (1910.8) | 276,926 | 136,956 | 139,970 |
1861 | 472,165 (1910.8) | 307,397 | 150,997 | 156,400 |
1871 | 472,453 (1,910.78) | 338,837 | 164,732 | 174,105 |
1881 | 472,453 (1,910.78) | 380,283 | 184,205 | 196,078 |
1891 | 480,560 (1944.8) | 385,309 | 184,180 | 201,129 |
1901 | 480,059 (1942.7) | 453,734 | 216,680 | 237,054 |
1911 | 479,218 (1939.3) | 526,087 | 250,446 | 275,641 |
1921 | 458,352 (1854.9) | 405,842 | 192,938 | 212,904 |
1931 | 447,678 (1811.7) | 420,056 | 201,115 | 218,941 |
1941† | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1951 | 447,943 (1812.8) | 524,783 | 254,607 | 270,176 |
1961 | 447,943 (1812.8) | 569,957 | 278,046 | 291,911 |
1971 | 450,535 (1823.3) | 693,253 | 340,645 | 352,608 |
1981‡ | 970,238 (3926.4) | 631,756 | 309,454 | 322,302 |
1991‡ | 969,487 (3923.4) | 676,747 | 330,646 | 346,101 |
2001[191] | 430,209 (1,741) | 542,107 | 265,887 | 276,220 |
2011[190] | 430,209 (1,741) | 566,200 | 278,800 | 287,400 |
† – No census taken due to World War II
‡ – Statistics for the county of Hereford & Worcester, no individual statistics available for Worcestershire
See also
- List of Worcestershire boundary changes
- List of boundary changes in the West Midlands (region)
- History of Worcestershire
References
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{{cite web}}
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