Municipal Borough of Bexley

Municipal Borough of Bexley
Bexley
Motto: Non Nobis Sed Communitati (Not for ourselves but for the community)
Geography
Status Local board (1879 - 1894)
Urban district (1894 - 1935)
Municipal borough (after 1935)
1911 area 4,942 acres (20.00 km2)[1]
1961 area 4,870 acres (19.7 km2)[2]
History
Created 1879
Abolished 1965
Succeeded by London Borough of Bexley
Demography
1901 population 13,476[1]
1961 population 89,550 [2]
Bexley

Bexley was a local government district in north west Kent from 1879 to 1965 around the town of Old Bexley.

Contents

History

The parish of Bexley adopted the Local Government Act 1858 in 1879, and a local board of 15 members was formed to govern the area. The local board established offices at Oxford Place, High Street, Bexley.[3]

The Local Government Act 1894 reconstituted the local board's area as an urban district. Bexley Urban District Council replaced the board. In 1902 the urban district was enlarged by absorbing the neighbouring parish of East Wickham, formerly in Dartford Rural District. The enlarged urban district was divided into three wards: Christ Church (returning 8 councillors), St Mary's (5) and East Whickham (2). The Council offices moved to Broadway, Bexleyheath.[4][5] The urban district council ran its own tram services until they became the responsibility of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933.[6]

The town was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1935. The royal charter was presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent in a ceremony held in Danson Park on September 30.[7] A corporation consisting of a mayor, 6 aldermen and 18 councillors replaced the UDC, with the first elections being held on November 1.

In 1965 the municipal borough was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and its former area transferred to Greater London from Kent. Its former area was combined with that of other districts to form the present-day London Borough of Bexley.

Borough council

The borough council was initially controlled by independents. In 1945 the Labour Party gained a majority.[8] The Conservative Party took control in 1950, which they held until 1958.[9] The size of the council had been increased to 24 councillors and 8 aldermen in 1954, and in 1958 the council was evenly divided between Labour and Conservatives.[10] The Conservatives regained control in 1959, holding it until 1963.[11] At the final election before the borough's abolition in 1963, Labour took control.[12]

Coat of arms

A coat of arms was granted to the Bexley UDC on October 16, 1937 and inherited by the borough. The blazon was as follows: Per fesse vert and Or a fesse wavy barry wavy of four argent and azure in chief an eagle displayed between two apples leaved and slipped of the second and in base an oak tree eradicated proper. Crest: Upon heather proper within a coronet of four fleur-de-lis set upon a rim Or a horse forcene argent.[13]

The green and gold colouring of the arms represented the cornfields and grasslands which covered the area before the town grew up. The oak tree continued this theme, and also depicted the town's parks. The blue and silver waves or "becks" referred to the name "Bexley". Gold apples stood for traditional fruit-growing and the eagle came from the arms of Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley, one time chancellor of the exchequer. The crown was included in the crest as the arms were granted in the coronation year of George VI. The crest was the white horse of Kent on a mound of heather for former heath lands of Bexleyheath.

The latin motto was Non Nobis Sed Communitati or "Not for ourselves but for the community".[14]

References

  1. ^ a b "1911 census". Vision of Britain. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/census/table_page.jsp?tab_id=EW1911POP2_M5&u_id=10107970&show=DB. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
  2. ^ a b "1961 census". Vision of Britain. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/census/table_page.jsp?tab_id=EW1961COU_M3&u_id=10107970&show=DB. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
  3. ^ "Bexley, with Blendon, Bridgen, Halfway Street, Hurst and Upton". Kelly's Directory of Kent, Surrey & Sussex, Part 1. Historical Directories. 1891. http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/makepdf.asp?fn=E:\ZYIMAGE\DATA\HISTDIR\TIF\IHR11013Atif\0000CRC7.TIF. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
  4. ^ "Bexley, with Blendon, Bridgen and Hurst". Kelly's Directory of Kent, Part 1. Historical Directories. 1913. http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/makepdf.asp?fn=E:\ZYIMAGE\DATA\HISTDIR\TIF\BCL8014Atif\0000D2NL.TIF. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
  5. ^ F A Youngs, Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England, Vol. I: Southern England, London 1979
  6. ^ Reed, J., London Tramways, (1997)
  7. ^ New Borough in Kent - Charter presented to Bexley, The Times, October 1, 1937, p.13
  8. ^ The Municipal Elections, The Times, November 2, 1945 p.8
  9. ^ The Municipal Elections, The Times, May 12, 1950, p.4
  10. ^ Labour captures more boroughs, The Times, May 9, 1958, p.6
  11. ^ Election results in the boroughs, The Times, May 8, 1959, p.8
  12. ^ Election results in the boroughs, The Times, May 10, 1963
  13. ^ "Bexley Borough Council". Civic Heraldry of England and Wales. http://www.civicheraldry.co.uk/kent_ob.html#bexley%20bc. Retrieved 2008-06-18. 
  14. ^ C Wilfrid Scott-Giles, Civic Heraldry of England and Wales, 2nd edition, London, 1953
  • Local Government Act 1888
  • Local Government Act 1894
  • London Government Act 1963

External links

Coordinates: 51°27′N 0°9′E / 51.45°N 0.15°E / 51.45; 0.15


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • London Borough of Bexley — Infobox London Borough | name = London Borough of Bexley short name = Bexley adminhq = Broadway, Bexleyheath imagename = status = London borough | area rank = 289th area km2 = 60.56 ons code = 00AD | url = [http://www.bexley.gov.uk/ LB Bexley]… …   Wikipedia

  • London Borough of Bexley — Lage in Greater London Status London Borough Region …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Municipal Borough of Erith — Erith Geography Status Urban district (until 1938) Municipal borough (after 1938) HQ Erith History Created …   Wikipedia

  • Municipal Borough of Finchley — Finchley Motto: Regnant Qui Serviunt (They rule who serve) Finchley within Middlesex in 1961 Geography …   Wikipedia

  • Municipal Borough of Kingston upon Thames — Kingston upon Thames Geography Status Municipal borough (1835 1965) Royal borough (confirmed 1927) Civil parish (1894 1965) 1911 area 1,133 acres (4.6 km2) 1931 area 1 …   Wikipedia

  • Municipal Borough of Ilford — Ilford Motto: In unity progress Ilford within Essex in 1961 Geography Status …   Wikipedia

  • Municipal Borough of Twickenham — Twickenham Twickenham within Middlesex in 1961 Geography Status Local board 1868 1894 Urban district 1894 …   Wikipedia

  • Municipal Borough of Hornsey — Hornsey Hornsey within Middlesex in 1961 Geography Status Local board 1867 – 1894 Urban district 1894 – 1903 …   Wikipedia

  • Municipal Borough of Dagenham — Dagenham Motto: Judge us by our deeds Dagenham Town Hall …   Wikipedia

  • Municipal Borough of Romford — Romford Motto: Serve with gladness Romford within Essex in 1961 Geography Status …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”