92-469: The Middle Saxons or Middel Seaxe were a people whose territory later became, with somewhat contracted boundaries, the county of Middlesex , England . The first known mention of Middlesex stems from a royal charter of 704 between king Swæfred of Essex , the abdicating king Æthelred of Mercia and succeeding king Coenred of Mercia , granting some land to bishop Walhere in Tuican hom ( Twickenham ) in
184-653: A liveryman . In 1801, the City had a population of about 130,000, but increasing development of the City as a central business district led to this falling to below 5,000 after the Second World War. It has risen slightly to around 9,000 since, largely due to the development of the Barbican Estate . As it has not been affected by other municipal legislation over the period of time since then, its electoral practice has become increasingly anomalous. Therefore,
276-533: A British, Irish, Commonwealth or EU citizen. Common Council elections are held every four years, most recently in March 2022. Common councilmen may use the postnominals CC. Each year, the common councilmen elect one of their number to serve as Chief Commoner, an honorific office which 'serves to recognise the distinguished contribution the office holder is likely to have made to the City Corporation over
368-640: A citizen of the United Kingdom, or a Commonwealth country, and either: Each body or organisation, whether unincorporated or incorporated, whose premises are within the City of London may appoint a number of voters based on the number of workers it employs. Limited liability partnerships fall into this category. Bodies employing fewer than ten workers may appoint one voter, those employing ten to fifty workers may appoint one voter for every five; those employing more than fifty workers may appoint ten voters and one additional voter for every fifty workers beyond
460-455: A company; it is deemed to be the citizens and other eligible parties acting as one corporate body to manage the City's affairs. Both businesses and residents of the City, or "Square Mile", are entitled to vote in corporation elections. In addition to its functions as the local authority (analogous to those undertaken by the 32 boroughs that administer the rest of Greater London ) the City of London Corporation takes responsibility for supporting
552-615: A period of years.' The Chief Commoner is expected to champion the Court of Common Council, to work to uphold its rights and privileges, and to offer advice and counsel to its members. They also represent the court on various different committees, support the lord mayor in the business of the Corporation and are prominently present on ceremonial occasions. The Chief Commoner is elected in October of each year and holds office for one year from
644-571: A single, established county town . The City of London could be regarded as its county town for most purposes and provided different locations for the various, mostly judicial, county purposes. The county assizes for Middlesex were held at the Old Bailey in the City of London. Until 1889, the High Sheriff of Middlesex was chosen by the City of London Corporation . The sessions house for
736-509: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Middlesex Middlesex ( / ˈ m ɪ d əl s ɛ k s / ; abbreviation: Middx ) is a historic county , a former post county , and a former administrative county in South East England ; it is now mainly within the ceremonial county of Greater London , with small sections in neighbouring ceremonial counties. The county's boundaries largely followed three rivers:
828-456: Is at least probable". The area was part of the Kingdom of Essex at the beginning of the 7th century, but was ceded to Mercia in the 9th century (825). The Middle Saxons were originally pagans , but adopted Christianity around the middle of the 7th century. They spoke their own variant of Old English , but Latin was used in writing. This article related to the history of England
920-602: Is complex: as the corporation itself says: "The right of the City to run its own affairs was gradually won as concessions were gained from the Crown. Both the Guildhall Historical Association and Paul Jagger, author of The City of London Freeman's Guide and City of London: Secrets of the Square Mile explain that it is incorrect to say that this is a symbol of the submission of the Crown to
1012-670: Is done by an Act of Common Council. Local government legislation often makes special provision for the City to be treated as a London borough and for the Common Council to act as a local authority. The Corporation does not have general authority over the Middle Temple and the Inner Temple , two of the Inns of Court adjoining the west of the City which are historic extra-parochial areas , but many statutory functions of
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#17327649908541104-563: Is recorded as Middleseaxon in an Anglo-Saxon chronicle, written in Latin, about land at Twickenham. The Latin text reads: " in prouincia quæ nuncupatur Middelseaxan Haec ". The Saxons derived their name, Seaxe in their own tongue, from the seax , a kind of knife for which they were known. The seax appears in the heraldry of the English counties of Essex and Middlesex, each of which bears three seaxes in their ceremonial emblem, or rather
1196-572: Is said: Pimlico and Knightsbridge are almost joined to Chelsea and Kensington, and, if this infatuation continues for half a century, then, I suppose, the whole county of Middlesex will be covered in brick. Public transport in the county, including the extensive network of trams, buses and the London Underground came under control of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933 and a New Works Programme
1288-477: Is the High Road by Bushey Heath at 502 feet (153 m). Bentley Priory Nature Reserve houses Middlesex's oldest tree: The Master Oak. There were settlements in the area of Middlesex that can be traced back thousands of years before the creation of a county. The economy of the county was dependent on the City of London from early times and was primarily agricultural. A variety of goods were provided for
1380-632: Is undoubtedly the case that we have more tradition and pageantry than most", for example the yearly Lord Mayor's Show . There are eight formal ceremonies involving the Corporation: The historic ceremony of the monarch halting at Temple Bar and being met by the lord mayor, also called the Pearl Sword Ceremony , has often featured in art and literature. It is commented on in televised coverage of modern-day royal ceremonial processions. Tax journalist Nicholas Shaxson described
1472-606: The Angles in the north. Unlike these neighbours, the Middle Saxons did not manage to create a lasting kingdom of their own. According to G. F. Bosworth (1913), 'there is no evidence that Middlesex was originally a separate kingdom, and we may say with a considerable amount of certainty that it formed part of the kingdom of Essex (...).' However, F.M. Stenton (1971) comments that the Middle Saxon's "original independence
1564-472: The City of London Police – separate from the Metropolitan Police , which polices the remainder of Greater London. Each ward may choose a number of common councilmen. A common councilman must be a registered voter in a City ward, own a freehold or lease land in the City, or reside in the City for the year prior to the election. The individual must also be over 21; a Freeman of the City ; and
1656-490: The Domesday Book of 1086 as being divided into the six hundreds of Edmonton , Elthorne , Gore , Hounslow ( Isleworth in all later records), Ossulstone and Spelthorne . The City of London has been self-governing since the thirteenth century and became a county in its own right, a county corporate . Middlesex also included Westminster , which was separate from the City of London. Westminster Abbey dominated
1748-674: The Flag Institute 's registry of county and regional flags. The flag is a banner of the arms of the former Middlesex County Council, abolished in 1965. A similar design had been used traditionally as a local badge in Middlesex and neighbouring Essex for centuries. Coats of arms were attributed by the mediaeval heralds to the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy . That assigned to the Kingdom of Essex , of which
1840-585: The Metropolitan Police from 1829, and from 1840 the entire county was included in the Metropolitan Police District . Local government in the county was unaffected by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , and civic works continued to be the responsibility of the individual parish vestries or ad hoc improvement commissioners . From 1855, the parishes of the densely populated area in the south east, but excluding
1932-484: The Middle Saxon Province was part, depicted three " seaxes " or short notched swords on a red background. The seaxe was a weapon carried by Anglo-Saxon warriors, and the term "Saxon" may be derived from the word. These arms became associated with the two counties that approximated to the kingdom: Middlesex and Essex . County authorities, militia and volunteer regiments associated with both counties used
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#17327649908542024-579: The Norman Conquest , and the Corporation's first recorded royal charter dates from around 1067, when William the Conqueror granted the citizens of London a charter confirming the rights and privileges that they had enjoyed since the time of Edward the Confessor . Numerous subsequent royal charters over the centuries confirmed and extended the citizens' rights. Around 1189, the City gained
2116-621: The Second World War , from 1951 to 1961, the populations of the administrative county of London and of inner Middlesex were in steady decline, with population growth continuing in the outer parts of Middlesex. According to the 1961 census, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Hendon, Heston & Isleworth, Tottenham, Wembley, Willesden and Twickenham had each reached a population greater than 100,000, which would normally have entitled each of them to seek county borough status. If this status were to be granted to all those boroughs, it would mean that
2208-642: The Thames in the south, the Lea to the east and the Colne to the west. A line of hills formed the northern boundary with Hertfordshire . The county was the second smallest of the historic counties of England, after Rutland . The name of the county derives from its origin as a homeland for the Middle Saxon people in the early Middle Ages , with the county subsequently formed from part of that territory in either
2300-498: The non-residential vote (or business vote ), abolished in the rest of the country in 1969 , became an increasingly large part of the electorate. The non-residential vote system used disfavoured incorporated companies. The City of London (Ward Elections) Act 2002 greatly increased the business franchise, allowing many more businesses to be represented. In 2009, the business vote was about 24,000, greatly exceeding residential voters. Eligible voters must be at least 18 years old and
2392-610: The provincia called Middleseaxan . It likely included the early London settlement, Lundenwic , and probably Surrey , the "south region" of the Middle Saxon territory. There is also some evidence that may suggest Middle Saxon settlement in western Kent . The name reflects the situation of these people being in the middle between the South Saxons , the East Saxons and the West Saxons , and distinguishing them from
2484-425: The 17th and 18th centuries for attracting day-trippers from London. Hampton Court Palace was among the historic buildings opened to the public in the 19th century and 350,000 people visited in 1851. During the 18th century, the inner parishes of Middlesex became suburbs of the City and were increasingly urbanised. In 1794, Thomas Cox wrote of Middlesex: We may call it almost all London, being chiefly inhabited by
2576-477: The Cities of London and Westminster, there were no ancient boroughs . The importance of the hundred courts declined, and such local administration as there was divided between "county business" conducted by the justices of the peace meeting in quarter sessions , and the local matters dealt with by parish vestries. As the suburbs of London spread into the area, unplanned development and outbreaks of cholera forced
2668-465: The City of London to the Corporation. A separate Commission of Sewers was created for the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, and as well as the construction of drains it had responsibility for the prevention of flooding; paving, cleaning and lighting the City of London's streets; and churchyards and burials. The individual commissioners were previously nominated by the Corporation, but it
2760-412: The City of London in Common Council assembled . The "Court" is the primary decision-making body of the City of London Corporation and meets nine times per year, though most of its work is carried out by committees. The Common Council is the police authority for the City of London, a police area that covers the City including the Inner Temple and Middle Temple and which has its own police force –
2852-540: The City of London, came within the responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works for certain infrastructure purposes, though the area remained a part of Middlesex. Despite this innovation, the system was described by commentators at the time as one "in chaos". In 1889, under the Local Government Act 1888 , the metropolitan area of approximately 30,000 acres (120 km ) became part of
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2944-611: The City, due to their residence in that district, maintain the right to vote in their 'home' district. The City of London is divided into twenty-five wards , each of which is an electoral division, electing one alderman and a number of councilmen based on the size of the electorate. The numbers below reflect the changes caused by the City of London (Ward Elections) Act and a recent ward boundary review. There are over one hundred livery companies in London. The companies originated as guilds or trade associations. The senior members of
3036-487: The City, including crops such as grain and hay, livestock and building materials. Tourism began to develop in the late 16th century and, in 1593, John Norden noted that the county was attracting visitors to its "divers devices, neatly decked with rare inventions, environed with orchards of sundry delicate fruits, gardens with delectable walks, arbours, alleys, and great variety of pleasing dainties." Inns and tea gardens at Isleworth, Tottenham, Edmonton and Hornsey are noted in
3128-571: The City, with Jagger writing: The Sovereign does not ask to be admitted. The carriage bearing the King or Queen does not halt without the bar, but drives straight across the boundary and halts just within the City. [...] Can the Press be deflected from their story of the Sovereign asking permission to enter the City! It has been repeated for well over a century. [...] The ceremony is an acknowledgement by
3220-465: The Corporation and a corresponding need to raise local taxes from the commoners, the Common Council grew in importance and has been the principal governing body of the City of London since the 18th century. In January 1898, the Common Council gained the full right to collect local rates when the City of London Sewers Act 1897 transferred the powers and duties of the Commissioners of Sewers of
3312-512: The Corporation are extended into these two areas. The chief executive of the administrative side of the Corporation holds the ancient office of Town Clerk of London . Because of its accumulated wealth and responsibilities, the Corporation has a number of officers and officials unique to its structure who enjoy more autonomy than most local council officials, and each of whom has a separate budget: There are others: The first direct elections to Common Council took place in 1384. Before that date
3404-722: The Folkmoot. Administration and judicial processes were conducted at the Court of Husting and the administrative part of the court's work evolved into the Court of Aldermen. There is no surviving record of a charter first establishing the corporation as a legal body, but the City is regarded as incorporated by prescription, meaning that the law presumes it to have been incorporated because it has for so long been regarded as such (e.g. Magna Carta states that "the City of London shall have/enjoy its ancient liberties"). The City of London Corporation has been granted various special privileges since
3496-644: The Middle Saxon province is likely to have been the domain of one of these co-kings. This link to Essex endured through the Diocese of London , re-established in 604 as the East Saxon see, and its boundaries continued to be based on the Kingdom of Essex until the nineteenth century. The name means territory of the middle Saxons . The word is formed from the Old English , 'middel' and ' Seaxe ' ('Saxons') ( cf. Essex , Sussex and Wessex ). In 704, it
3588-621: The Middlesex Quarter Sessions was Hicks Hall in Clerkenwell (just outside the City boundary) from 1612 to 1782, and Middlesex Sessions House on Clerkenwell Green from 1782 to 1921. The quarter sessions performed most of the limited administration on a county level prior to the creation of the Middlesex County Council in 1889. New Brentford was first promulgated as the county town in 1789, on
3680-458: The Sheriffs are chosen for terms of one year. The Lord Mayor fulfils several roles: The ancient and continuing office of Lord Mayor of London (with responsibility for the City of London) should not be confused with the office of Mayor of London (responsible for the whole of Greater London and created in 2000). The role of Lord Mayor of London is largely ceremonial. Political leadership on
3772-741: The Tower Hamlets and was thus independent of the Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex . By the 19th century, the East End of London had expanded to the eastern boundary with Essex, and the Tower division , an area which approximated to the East End, had reached a population of over a million. When the railways were built, the north western suburbs of London steadily spread over large parts of the county. The areas closest to London were served by
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3864-464: The Tudor heralds' idea of what a seax looked like, portrayed in each case like a falchion or scimitar . The names 'Middlesex', 'Essex', ' Sussex ' and ' Wessex ', contain the name 'Seaxe'. It is not known exactly when Middlesex was established as a county, possibly the early tenth century, but it is clear that it did not cover the whole of the former Middle Saxon Province of Essex. It was recorded in
3956-525: The administrative County of London . The Act also provided that the part of Middlesex in the administrative county of London should be "severed from Middlesex, and form a separate county for all non-administrative purposes". The part of the County of London that had been transferred from Middlesex was divided in 1900 into 18 metropolitan boroughs : Following the Local Government Act 1888,
4048-446: The administrative county of Hertfordshire , and Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District and Staines Urban District , which became part of the administrative county of Surrey . Following the changes, local acts of Parliament relating to Middlesex were henceforth to apply to the entirety of the nine "North West London Boroughs". In 1974, the three urban districts that had been transferred to Hertfordshire and Surrey were abolished and became
4140-403: The administrative functions of the hundred. The divisions were named Finsbury , Holborn , Kensington and Tower . The county had parliamentary representation from the 13th century. Middlesex outside the metropolitan area remained largely rural until the middle of the 19th century and so the special boards of local government for various metropolitan areas were late in developing. Other than
4232-615: The ancient county of Middlesex. In 1965 these merged to form seven of the twelve current boroughs of Inner London : In April 1965, nearly all of the area of the historic county of Middlesex became part of Greater London , under the control of the Greater London Council , and formed the new outer London boroughs of Barnet (part only), Brent , Ealing , Enfield , Haringey , Harrow , Hillingdon , Hounslow and Richmond upon Thames (part only). The remaining areas were Potters Bar Urban District , which became part of
4324-640: The area of Westminster, until the Dissolution of the Monasteries greatly reduced its influence. A Court of Burgesses was established, in 1585, to fill the power vacuum left behind by the Abbey. Of the six hundreds, Ossulstone contained the districts closest to the City of London. During the 17th century it was divided into four divisions, which, along with the Liberty of Westminster , largely took over
4416-467: The area of the current county and much of Hertfordshire . Although the province appeared to have come under the dominion of, and is only ever recorded as a part of the Kingdom of the East Saxons , charter evidence shows that it was not part of their core territory. However, it is probable the county was independent at some point. At times, Essex was ruled jointly by co-Kings, and it is thought that
4508-616: The area of the historic county, along with a third of its population, was incorporated into the new administrative County of London . The remainder formed the administrative county of Middlesex, governed by the Middlesex County Council , which met regularly at the Middlesex Guildhall in Westminster. Further suburban growth, stimulated by the improvement and expansion of public transport, as well as
4600-501: The attributed arms. Corporation of London Sadiq Khan ( L ) Statutory Deputy Mayor Joanne McCartney ( L/Co ) London Assembly Lord Mayor Peter Estlin London boroughs ( list ) Vacant The City of London Corporation , officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London , is the local authority of the City of London ,
4692-529: The basis that it was where elections of knights of the shire (or Members of Parliament ) were held from 1701. Thus a traveller's and historian's London regional summary of 1795 states that (New) Brentford was "considered as the county-town; but there is no town-hall or other public building". Middlesex County Council took over at the Guildhall in Westminster , which became the Middlesex Guildhall . In
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#17327649908544784-606: The boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow. It was abolished on 1 July 2003. The title Earl of Middlesex was created twice, in 1622 and 1677, but became extinct in 1843. The county lay within the London Basin and the most significant feature was the River Thames , which formed the southern boundary. The River Lea and the River Colne formed natural boundaries to
4876-549: The boundary, these feed into the Welsh Harp Lake or Brent Reservoir which becomes the River Brent ). This formed a long protrusion of Hertfordshire into the county. The county was once well wooded, with much of it covered by the ancient Forest of Middlesex ; Domesday returns for Middlesex indicate that it was around 30% wooded (much of it wood-pasture ) in 1086, about double the English average. The highest point
4968-562: The bulk of Outer London. Exceptionally, the Potters Bar post town was transferred to Hertfordshire. Geographically the postal county consisted of two unconnected areas, 6 miles (10 km) apart. The first was in and around Enfield and the second, larger area was to the west. This led the retention of 25 Post Towns to this day: † = postal county was not required The postal county had many border inconsistencies where its constituent post towns encroached on neighbouring counties, such as
5060-587: The ceremony in an article in the New Statesman : Whenever The Queen makes a State entry to the City, she meets a red cord raised by City police at Temple Bar, and then engages in a colourful ceremony involving the Lord Mayor, his Sword , assorted Aldermen and Sheriffs, and a character called the Remembrancer. In this ceremony, the Lord Mayor recognises The Queen's authority, but the relationship
5152-467: The citizens, who fill the towns in it with their country houses, to which they often resort that they may breathe a little sweet air, free from the fogs and smoke of the City. In 1803, Sir John Sinclair, president of the Board of Agriculture , spoke of the need to cultivate the substantial Finchley Common and Hounslow Heath (perhaps prophetic of the Dig for Victory campaign of World War II ) and fellow Board member Middleton estimated that one tenth of
5244-450: The corporation is instead provided by the chair of the policy and resources committee (also known as the policy chairman), who is sometimes described as the "de facto political leader". The policy chairman represents the City on the leaders' committee of London Councils , alongside the leaders of the 32 London Boroughs. Since 1984, the policy chairmen have been: Stuart Fraser, the Corporation's Deputy Policy chairman wrote in 2011 "it
5336-443: The county covering what is now the London Borough of Tower Hamlets as well as most of what is now the London Borough of Hackney . The territory had its origin in the medieval Manor of Stepney . The area was unusual in combining Hundred and many County responsibilities, to form a "county within a county" comparable to one of the Ridings of Yorkshire . Of particular note was its military autonomy: it had its own Lord-Lieutenant of
5428-530: The county, 17,000 acres (6,900 ha), was uncultivated common, capable of improvement. However, William Cobbett , in his Rural Rides first serialised in 1822, said that Thomas Babington wrote in 1843, "An acre in Middlesex is worth a principality in Utopia " which contrasts neatly with its agricultural description. The building of radial railway lines from 1839 caused a fundamental shift away from agricultural supply for London towards large scale house building. Tottenham , Edmonton and Enfield in
5520-402: The creation of local boards and poor law unions to help govern most areas; in a few cases parishes appointed improvement commissioners . In rural areas, parishes began to be grouped for different administrative purposes. From 1875 these local bodies were designated as urban or rural sanitary districts. The Tower division, better known as the Tower Hamlets , was an area in the Southeast of
5612-431: The districts of Hertsmere (part only) and Spelthorne respectively. In 1995 the village of Poyle was transferred from Spelthorne to the Berkshire borough of Slough . Additionally, the Greater London boundary to the west and north has been subject to several small changes since 1965. On its creation in 1965, Greater London was divided into five Commission Areas for justice. The one named "Middlesex" consisted of
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#17327649908545704-422: The east and west. The entire south west boundary of Middlesex followed a gently descending meander of the Thames without hills. In many places "Middlesex bank" is more accurate than "north bank" — for instance at Teddington the river flows north-westward, so the left (Middlesex) bank is the south-west bank. The largely low-lying county was dominated by clay in its north and alluvium on gravel in its south. In
5796-422: The film industry. Twickenham Studios were established in 1913. There were also studios at Cricklewood Studios , Gainsborough Pictures , Isleworth Studios , Kew Bridge Studios and Southall Studios . Middlesex (abbreviated Middx) is a former postal county . Counties were an element of postal addressing in routine use until 1996, intended to avoid confusion between post towns , and are no longer required for
5888-438: The financial services industry and representing its interests. The corporation's structure includes the Lord Mayor , the Court of Aldermen , the Court of Common Council , and the Freemen and Livery of the City. The "Liberties and Customs" of the City of London are guaranteed in Magna Carta 's clause IX, which remains in statute. In the Anglo-Saxon period, consultation between London's rulers and its citizens took place at
5980-434: The first fifty. Though workers count as part of a workforce regardless of nationality, only certain individuals may be appointed as voters. Under section 5 of the City of London (Ward Elections) Act 2002 , the following are eligible to be appointed as voters (the qualifying date is 1 September of the year of the election): Voters appointed by businesses who are also entitled to vote in a local authority district other than
6072-416: The following April. The work of the City of London Corporation is primarily carried out through a range of committees: The Lord Mayor of London and the two Sheriffs are chosen by liverymen meeting at Common Hall. Sheriffs, who serve as assistants to the Lord Mayor, are chosen on Midsummer Day . The Lord Mayor, who must have previously been a Sheriff, is chosen on Michaelmas . Both the Lord Mayor and
6164-411: The historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom 's financial sector . In 2006, the name was changed from Corporation of London as the corporate body needed to be distinguished from the geographical area to avoid confusion with the wider London local government, the Greater London Authority . It is a corporation in the sense of being a municipal corporation rather than
6256-432: The livery companies, known as liverymen , form a special electorate known as Common Hall. Common Hall is the body that chooses the lord mayor, the sheriffs and certain other City officers. Wards originally elected aldermen for life, but the term is now only six years. Aldermen may, if they so choose, submit to an election before the six-year period ends. In any case, an election must be held no later than six years after
6348-403: The ninth or tenth century. The City of London became a self governing county corporate in the twelfth century; it was able to exert political influence in Middlesex as the sheriffs of London were given jurisdiction there, though the county otherwise remained separate. To the east of the City, the Tower Division (or Tower Hamlets) had considerable autonomy under its own Lord Lieutenant . To
6440-407: The north developed first as working-class residential suburbs with easy access to central London. The line to Windsor through Middlesex was completed in 1848, and the railway to Potters Bar in 1850; and the Metropolitan and District Railways started a series of extensions into the county in 1878. Closer to London, the districts of Acton , Willesden , Ealing and Hornsey came within reach of
6532-508: The north, the boundary ran along a WSW/ENE aligned ridge of hills. From the Colne to Barnet Gate Wood , this boundary is marked by a 20 kilometre hedge of great antiquity. East of the wood the hedge continues but did not forms the county boundary, suggesting that the eastern part of the boundary is younger. After Barnett Gate Wood the hedge continues east to Arkley where it divides into two branches, one continuing east to Chipping Barnet and Cockfosters , with another heading north to form
6624-526: The parish boundary between Shenley and Ridge , both in Hertforshire. Neither branch formed part of the county boundary. The change to the county boundary was probably caused in the late 8th century, before Middlesex took the form of a county, when the Liberty of St Albans was created from parts of the Dioceses of London and Lincoln . The hills are broken by Barnet or 'Dollis' valleys. (South of
6716-561: The population of the administrative county of Middlesex would be reduced by over half, to just under one million. Evidence submitted to the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London included a recommendation to divide Middlesex into two administrative counties of North Middlesex and West Middlesex. However, the commission instead proposed abolition of the county and merging of the boroughs and districts. This
6808-479: The previous election. The sole qualification for the office is that aldermen must be Freemen of the City ; candidates are not required to be a resident, leaseholder or freehold owner of land in the ward in which they seek to run, nor even of the City of London. Alderman serve on the Court of Common Council concurrent with their service on the Court of Alderman. Additionally, they select the Recorder of London ,
6900-579: The proceedings of the courts of Common Council and Aldermen, begin in 1275, and are recorded in fifty volumes known as the Letter-Books of the City of London . The City of London Corporation had its privileges stripped by a writ quo warranto under Charles II in 1683, but they were later restored and confirmed by Act of Parliament under William III and Mary II in 1690, after the Glorious Revolution . With growing demands on
6992-421: The remaining county came under the control of Middlesex County Council except for the parish of Monken Hadley , which became part of Hertfordshire . The area of responsibility of the Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex was reduced accordingly. Middlesex did not contain any county boroughs , so the county and administrative county (the area of county council control) were identical. At this time, Middlesex regained
7084-424: The representatives of the wards had been elected by the livery companies; originally they were merely appointed by the aldermen. The City of London Corporation was not reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , because it had a more extensive electoral franchise than any other borough or city; in fact, it widened this further with its own equivalent legislation allowing one to become a freeman without being
7176-655: The right to appoint its own sheriff, lost in the 12th century. The Local Government Act 1894 divided the administrative county into four rural districts and thirty-one urban districts , based on existing sanitary districts . One urban district, South Hornsey , was an exclave of Middlesex within the County of London until 1900, when it was transferred to the latter county. The rural districts were Hendon , South Mimms , Staines and Uxbridge . Because of increasing urbanisation these had all been abolished by 1934. Urban districts had been created, merged, and many had gained
7268-440: The right to have its own mayor, later being advanced to the degree and style of Lord Mayor of London . Over time, the Court of Aldermen sought increasing help from the City's commoners and this was eventually recognised with commoners being represented by the Court of Common Council, known by that name since at least as far back as 1376. The earliest records of the business habits of the City's chamberlains and common clerks, and
7360-544: The river. Nearby Hampton Court Palace has a postal address of East Molesey , therefore associating it with Surrey. The Enfield post town in the EN postcode area was in the former postal county. All post towns in the HA postcode area and UB postcode area were in the former postal county. Most of the TW postcode area was in the former postal county. The Middlesex Flag is included in
7452-526: The routing of the mail. The postal county did not match the boundaries of Middlesex because of the presence of the London postal district , which stretched into the county to include Tottenham, Willesden, Hornsey and Chiswick. Addresses in this area included "LONDON" which is the post town but any overlap with the then County of London was coincidental. In 1965, Royal Mail retained the postal county because it would have been too costly to amend addresses covering
7544-436: The same year, this location was placed into the new County of London , and was thus outside the council's area of jurisdiction. The population of inner London (then the County of London ) declined after its creation in 1889 as more residents moved into the outer suburbs. In the interwar years , suburban London expanded further, with improvement and expansion of public transport, and the setting up of new industries . After
7636-544: The senior Circuit judge on the Central Criminal Court , who sits on the Court of Alderman, and serve of boards as governors and trustees for various institutions with connections to the city. Alderman are also ex officio justices of the peace . The Court of Common Council , also known as the Common Council of the City of London , is formally referred to as the Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons of
7728-462: The setting up of new industries , led to the creation of Greater London in 1965, an area which included almost all of the historic county of Middlesex, with the rest included in neighbouring ceremonial counties. The county has its roots in the settlement of the Middle Saxons . The extent of the province is not clear, and probably varied over time, but it is clear that it occupied at least
7820-481: The southeast of the county, including the East and West Ends of London. In 1855 the densely populated southeast, together with sections of Kent and Surrey , came under the Metropolitan Board of Works for certain infrastructure purposes, while remaining a part of Middlesex. and the Metropolitan Police also developed in the nineteenth century. When county councils were introduced in 1889, about twenty per cent of
7912-599: The status of municipal borough by 1965. The districts as at the 1961 census were: After 1889, the growth of London continued, and the county became almost entirely filled by suburbs of London, with a big rise in population density. This process was accelerated by the Metro-land developments, which covered a large part of the county. The expanding urbanisation had, however, been foretold in 1771 by Tobias Smollett in The Expedition of Humphry Clinker , in which it
8004-400: The tram and bus networks, providing cheap transport to central London. After World War I , the availability of labour and proximity to London made areas such as Hayes and Park Royal ideal locations for the developing new industries . New jobs attracted more people to the county and the population continued to rise, reaching a peak in 1951. Middlesex became the location of facilities for
8096-654: The villages of Denham in Buckinghamshire, Wraysbury in Berkshire and Eastbury in Hertfordshire which were respectively in the post towns of Uxbridge , Staines and Northwood and therefore in the postal county of Middlesex. Egham Hythe , Surrey also had postal addresses of Staines, Middlesex. Conversely, Hampton Wick was conveniently placed in Kingston , Surrey with its sorting offices just across
8188-477: The west, precincts around Westminster and Charing Cross became built up. Despite London's expansion into rural Middlesex, the Corporation of London resisted attempts to expand the City of London boundaries into the county, posing problems for the administration of local government, public infrastructure, and justice. In the eighteenth and ninteenth centuries the population density was especially high in
8280-415: Was a separate body. The Corporation had earlier limited rating powers in relation to raising funds for the City of London Police , as well as the militia rate and some rates in relation to the general requirements of the Corporation. The Corporation is unique among British local authorities for its continuous legal existence over many centuries, and for having the power to alter its own constitution, which
8372-455: Was developed to further enhance services during the 1930s. Partly because of its proximity to the capital, the county had a major role during the Second World War. The county was subject to aerial bombardment and contained military establishments, such as RAF Uxbridge and RAF Heston , which were involved in the Battle of Britain . Middlesex arguably never, and certainly not since 1789, had
8464-548: Was enacted by Parliament as the London Government Act 1963 , which came into force on 1 April 1965. The Act abolished the administrative counties of Middlesex and London. The Administration of Justice Act 1964 abolished the Middlesex magistracy and lieutenancy , and altered the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court. Eighteen of London County Council Metropolitan Boroughs were part of
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