METROPOLITAN BOROUGH OF HACKNEY

The 'Metropolitan Borough of Hackney' was a metropolitan borough of the County of London from 1900 to 1965. Its area became part of the London Borough of Hackney.

Contents

Boundaries

Coat of Arms

Population and area

Politics

Borough council

References

See also

External links

Boundaries

The borough comprised the parish of Hackney replacing the parish vestry which previously administered the area.
It included the districts of Hackney, Clapton, Homerton, Dalston and Kingsland. It also included Stoke Newington Common, and the entire eastern side of Stoke Newington High Street.
It bordered the metropolitan boroughs of Stoke Newington, Islington, Shoreditch, Bethnal Green and Poplar. It had a border with Essex and the Municipal Borough of Leyton to the east and Middlesex (the Municipal Borough of Tottenham) to the north.

Coat of Arms

The tower shown is that of St Augustine's Tower Hackney, the remains of the 13th century St Augustine parish church. The Maltese Cross represents the Knights Templar, and their successors the Knights Hospitaller. These ecclesiastic organisations held the manor of Hackney, until the reformation. The wavy white and blue bars, beneath, represent the River Lee and the many canals, crossing the borough.
The Latin motto translates as ''Justice is our tower'', the arms were granted on 31st May 1924.^[1]

Population and area

The metropolitan borough was conterminous with the Vestry authority, when it was formed in 1900. Statistics compiled by the London County Council, in 1901 show the population growth in London, over the preceding century.
The area of the borough in 1901 was 3,289 acres (approximately 13.31 km²). The populations recorded in National Censuses were:
'Hackney St John's Vestry 1801-1899'

Year[2]	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[3]	1901	1911	1921	1931	1941	1951	1961
Population	219,272	222,533	222,142	215,333	[4]	171,342	171,342

By comparison, after amalgamation with Shoreditch and Stoke Newington, to form the modern London Borough of Hackney, the combined area became 19.06 km² - approximately 4,710 acres; in 2005, this had a population of 207,700,^[5] or a population density of 10,900/km². In 1901 Hackney the population density was 16,475/km².

Politics

Borough council

The first council elected in 1900 was Conservative controlled. The party won 31 seats, the Liberal Party won 15, Progressives 6 and there were 2 Independent councillors.^[6] At the next election in 1903 the Progressives won control with 49 seats to 11 Conservatives.^[7] Three years later the Conservatives ran under the Municipal Reform label. Municipal Reformers won 18 seats and Independents supported by them won 20, giving them a majority over the Progressives with 22 seats.^[8] The Progressives regained the council in 1909 with a narrow majority, losing power to the Municipal Reform party again in 1912.^[9] The next elections, postponed to 1919 due to the First World War, were won by the Labour Party: Labour won 32 seats, Municipal Reform 15 and Progressives 13.^[10] At the next elections in 1922 a Progressive - Municipal Reform anti-Labour Alliance won all seats on the council, and held them at the subsequent polls in 1925.^[11] 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.^[12] In 1931 Municipal Reformers won all but one seat, which was held by Labour.^[13] 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, in 1937 they won 41 to 7.^[14] After 1945 the only non-Labour councillors were Communists: 1 was elected in 1945, and 2 in 1949.^[15] At the last four elections to the council in 1953, 1956, 1959 and 1962 Labour won all the seats.^[16]

References

1. Civic Heraldry accessed 14 Dec 2006
2. Statistical Abstract for London, 1901 (Vol. IV).
3. Hackney MetB: Census Tables at ''Vision of Britain'' accessed on 14 Dec 2006
4. ''The census was suspended for World War II
5. 2005 estimate
6. ''The London borough elections'', The Times, November 3, 1900
7. ''London borough council elections'', The Times November 4, 1903
8. ''London borough council elections'', The Times, November 3, 1906
9. ''London borough council elections'', The Times November 3, 1909; ''The London borough elections'', The Times, November 4, 1912
10. ''Borough council elections - Extensive Labour gains'', The Times, November 4, 1919
11. ''Labour rout in London'', The Times, November 3, 1922; ''The borough elections, a slight Labour advance'', November 4, The Times, 1925
12. ''The municipal elections'', The Times, November 3, 1928
13. ''The borough elections – Labour routed'', The Times, November 4, 1931
14. ''The municipal elections – more Labour gains in London'', The Times, November 3, 1934; ''The new London councils – state of parties'', The Times, November 3, 1937
15. ''The Municipal Elections - Results in London Boroughs'', The Times, November 3, 1945; ''More councils won by conservatives – Heavy Labour losses in London'', The Times, May 14, 1949
16. ''The municipal elections, Changes in London boroughs'', The Times, May 9, 1953; ''Labour gains in London poll'', The Times, May 12, 1956; ''Borough elections – London results'', The Times, May 9, 1959; ''Election results in the boroughs'', The Times, May 11, 1962

See also

★ London Government Act 1899

★ Metropolis Management Act 1855

External links

★ Hackney WW2 ARP Control Centre & Post War Borough Control