| Hackney | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Hackney within the historicCounty of London | |
| History | |
| • Origin | Hackney parish |
| • Created | 1900 |
| • Abolished | 1965 |
| • Succeeded by | London Borough of Hackney |
| Status | Metropolitan borough |
| Government | Hackney Borough Council |
| • HQ | Mare Street |
| • Motto | Justitia Turris Nostra (Justice is our tower) |
 Arms of the borough council | |
 Map of borough boundary | |
TheMetropolitan Borough of Hackney was ametropolitan borough of theCounty of London from 1900 to 1965. Its area became part of theLondon Borough of Hackney.
The borough was one of twenty-eight metropolitan boroughs created by theLondon Government Act 1899. It was the successor to thevestry of theparish of Hackney, which had been the local authority since 1894. Between 1855 and 1894 the parish had been administered with Stoke Newington as theHackney District.[1]
The boundaries of Hackney with the neighbouring boroughs were adjusted slightly in 1900: Hackney gained the east side of Bethune Road fromStoke Newington and the south side of Balls Pond Road from Islington; it lost the west side of Southgate Road to Islington. The boundary withShoreditch was altered to run along theRegents Canal, Albion Road and Brougham Road, while the boundary withBethnal Green, which had formed a straight line, was changed to follow the line of Gore Road. A further adjustment was made in 1908, when areas were exchanged withTottenham Urban District,Middlesex.[2] It had a border withLeyton Urban District (a municipal borough from 1926) inEssex to the east and to the north, from which it was divided byHackney Marshes.
The metropolitan borough was coterminous with the ancient parish of Hackney and included the districts ofHackney Central,Clapton,Stamford Hill,Homerton,Dalston andKingsland. It also includedStoke Newington Common, and the entire eastern side of Stoke Newington High Street.
The metropolitan borough was almost coterminous with the ancient parish of Hackney. Statistics were compiled by theLondon County Council in 1901 to show population growth in London over the preceding century.
The area of the borough in 1901 was 3,289 acres (13.3 km2). The populations recorded in National Censuses were:
Hackney Vestry 1801–1899
| Year[3] | 1801 | 1811 | 1821 | 1831 | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,730 | 16,771 | 22,494 | 31,047 | 37,771 | 53,589 | 76,687 | 115,110 | 163,681 | 198,606 |
Metropolitan Borough 1900–1961
| Year[4] | 1901 | 1911 | 1921 | 1931 | 1941 | 1951 | 1961 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 219,272 | 222,533 | 222,142 | 215,333 | [5] | 171,342 | 171,342 |
By comparison, after amalgamation withShoreditch andStoke Newington, to form the modernLondon Borough of Hackney, the combined area became 19.06 km² - approximately 4,710 acres (19.1 km2); in 2005, this had a population of 207,700,[6] or a population density of 10,900/km². In 1901 Hackney the population density was 16,475/km².
Under theMetropolis Management Act 1855 any parish that exceeded 2,000ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such the parish of St John at Hackney within theHackney District Board of Works was divided into seven wards (electingvestrymen): No. 1 or Stamford Hill (15), No. 2 or West (18), No. 3 or De Beauvoir Town (18), No. 4 or Dalston (18), No. 5 or Hackney (18), No. 6 or Homerton (15) and No. 7 or South (18).[7][8]
The Hackney Vestry was controlled by the Progressive Party, the grouping linked with the parliamentaryLiberal Party. Opposition on the body was provided by theConservative-backed Moderate Party. The vestry had 119 members, with one third elected annually.
In 1894 as its population had increased the incorporated vestry was re-divided into eight wards (electingvestrymen): Stamford Hill (15), West (18), Kingsland (12), Hackney (12), Mare Street (15), South (15), Clapton (12) and Homerton (21).[9][10]
The London Government Act 1899 replaced the incorporated vestries with borough councils consisting of amayor,aldermen and councillors. All councillors were to be elected every three years. There was one alderman for every six councillors, and these were elected by the council itself.
Boundary commissioners were appointed under the London Government Act 1899 to divide the new boroughs into wards, and to apportion councillors to each ward. It was decided to continue to use the eight vestry wards. The Moderates claimed that Stamford Hill and West Hackney wards were under-represented and should be given nine councillors, with the remaining six wards having six each.[11] In the event, the commissioners apportioned 60 councillors between the eight wards: Clapton Park, Hackney, Homerton and Stamford Hill having nine councillors and Downs, Kingsland, South and West wards having six a piece. With 10 aldermen, the borough council thus had 70 members.[1]
The boundary changes seem to have favoured the Moderates, as at the first elections to the council on 1 November 1900 they won a majority with 37 seats to 18 won by theLiberal Party and Progressives, with 3 independent Conservative and 2 independent councillors also returned.[12] At the next election in 1903 the Progressives won control with 49 seats to 11 Conservatives.[13] Three years later the Conservatives ran under theMunicipal Reform label. Municipal Reformers won 18 seats and independents supported by them won 20, giving them a majority over the Progressives with 22 seats.[14] The Progressives regained the council in 1909 with a narrow majority, losing power to the Municipal Reform party again in 1912.[15]
The next elections,postponed until 1919 due to theFirst World War, were won by theLabour Party: Labour won 32 seats, Municipal Reform 15 and Progressives 13.[16] At the next elections in 1922 a "Progressive Reform" anti-Labour alliance won all seats on the council, and held them at the subsequent polls in 1925.[17] The 1928 election was partly run on party lines: the Municipal Reform party won control with 31 seats, other Anti-Labour candidates won 15, Labour won 12 and Progressives 1.[18] In 1931 Municipal Reformers won all but one seat, which was held by Labour.[19] Labour gained control of the borough council in 1934, and held power for the rest of the borough's existence. In 1934 they won 45 seats to 15 won by Municipal Reformers.[20]
In 1937 the borough's ward boundaries were redrawn: sixteen wards were created (Chatham, Culford, Dalston, Downs, Graham, Leaside, Marsh, Maury, Park, Ridley, Southwold, Springfield, Stamford, Town Hall, Tudor and Wick), each represented by three councillors. To the forty-eight councillors thus elected were added 8 aldermen.[1] Labour won 41 seats in 1937 to Municipal Reform's 7.[21] Local elections were postponed due to theSecond World War, and from 1945 the only non-Labour councillors wereCommunists: 1 was elected in 1945, and 2 in 1949.[22] At the last four elections to the council in 1953, 1956, 1959 and 1962 Labour won all the seats.[23]
For elections toParliament, the borough was divided into three constituencies:
In 1950 the borough's representation was reduced to one and a half seats, when part of it was merged withStoke Newington:
In 1955 the borough's representation was reduced to one and two half seats, when another part of it was merged withBethnal Green:
The seal of the Hackney Vestry bore a representation ofSt Augustine's Tower, the remains of the 13th-century parish church. When the metropolitan borough was formed in 1900, the vestry seal was altered by the addition of theLatinmottoJustitia Turris Nostra orJustice is our tower, which can be paraphrased as meaningFairness is our strength.[24][25]
In January 1924 the borough council resolved to seek a formal grant of armorial bearings from theCollege of Arms. These were duly made byletters patent dated 31 May 1924.[25] The arms wereblazoned as follows:
Per fesse, the chief per pale gules and per fesse Sable and Argent, and the base barry wavy of six Argent and Azure, in the dexter chief a representation of the Hackney Tower proper and in the sinister chief a Maltese Cross per fesse Argent and Gules.
Crest: On a Wreath of the Colours a representation of the Hackney Tower Or.[25][26]
The "Hackney Tower" appeared in the upper portion of the shield, and formed the crest, placed on a helm and mantling. The 1900 motto was also retained. TheMaltese Cross represented theKnights Templar and theKnights Hospitaller. These orders successively held the manor of Hackney, until theReformation. The Templars wore red crosses on white mantles, and the Hospitallers white crosses on black: these were combined in the design. The wavy white and blue bars at the base of the shield represented theRiver Lea and the many canals crossing the borough.[25][26]
These arms gave much inspiration to thecoat of arms of the London Borough of Hackney when the London borough was created in 1965.
The borough council was initially based in a "French-Italian" style town hall in Hackney Grove, dating from 1866. The building was extended in 1898.[1] A newArt Decotown hall in Mare Street was begun in 1934, and opened in 1937. It is now the headquarters of the London Borough of Hackney.[1]
Local government districts abolished or transferred by theLondon Government Act 1963 | ||
|---|---|---|
| London | ||
| Essex | ||
| Hertfordshire | ||
| Middlesex,CC | ||
| Kent | ||
| Surrey | ||
| Transfers | Middlesex to Hertfordshire:Potters Bar
| |
History of the formation of theLondon Borough of Hackney | ||
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan boroughs |  | |
| District boards | ||
| Parishes | ||
51°32′42″N0°03′23″W / 51.5451°N 0.0564°W /51.5451; -0.0564
