Ipswich Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Ipswich Corporation was a municipal corporation
that owned property and government to town. The corporation kept highly details accounts of their operation, a great deal of which survives to this day. After a successful period of four centuries surviving plague and many other challenges governance of the borough descended into chaos after the restoration
in 1660. This lasted until new structures were imposed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
which created the Municipal borough
of Ipswich. Since the Local Government Act 1972
Ipswich has been a Non-metropolitan district
with borough status
.
granted a royal charter to the town in 1200. Unusually the immediately resolved to record proceedings in 'Great Domesday Book of Ipswich'. The original documents were stolen in 1272. Its contents were however already noted and a new copy was made later. In 1290 'The Little domesday book of Ipswich' was compiled based on what could be recollected at the time. A further copy was made in the 14th century.
In 1611 the corporation 'adventured', £100 towards the cost of ships to sail to Jamestown Settlement
, in Virginia
13 years before The Mayflower.
Following the restoration in 1660 the governance of the corporation declined until the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
again brought order. The borough was both subject to disastrous manipulation by Charles II
and James II
and also by the rise of party politics. The town was strongly puritan
and during the winter of 1662/63 Royal commissioners arrived to enforce the Corporation Act 1661
and ask all officeholders and freeman to renounce the 'Puritan Covenant'. Half of the assembly were purged. In 1684 the charter was then called in and replaced by another which named to new officeholders and for the first time in its history Portmen were imposed on the town many of whom were outsiders, Freemen were refused participation in the borough government. The aim was to create a compliant closed corporation. Control over the Holy Rood Fair which took place on St Margaret's Green was passed to the Corporation. A further charter was imposed by James II in 1688 without revoking the earlier charter and the result was confusion and chaos and permanent problems in 1835.
In 1719 the corporation blocked proposals to make the River Orwell
navigable as far as Stowmarket
; further plans were raised in 1790 and the work was completed by 1793 after which numerous maltings were soon operating in Stowmarket.
Until the Reform Act 1832
Members of parliament for Ipswich were selected for the Ipswich Parliament constituency
by the Ipswich Corporation. Elections during the 18th century in the town sometimes descended into physical fights between 'The Blues' (who supported the conservatives) and 'The Yellows' (who supported the Whigs or Liberals) with the behaviour of the politicians being described as 'miserable' and local and national elections often ending in a competition of who could be bribed and for what price. Following the Reform Act 1832
all male householders living in properties worth at least ten pounds a year were given the right to vote and process of voter registration. The act was intended to "take effectual Measures for correcting diverse Abuses that have long prevailed in the Choice of Members to serve in the Commons House of Parliament
."
created the Municipal borough
of Ipswich. This followed an investigation into Municipal corporations which had concluded that the existing Municipal Corporations of England and Wales neither possess nor deserve the confidence or respect of Your Majesty's subjects Subsequent of the 1835 Act a Mayor
was elected, together with a High Steward, Recorder, ten Aldermen and thirty Councillors.
Between 1835 and 1842 there were five parliamentary elections and all were found to have been corrupt and in all seven members of parliament were unseated. In 1841 votes were openly for sale at £15.
W.C. Fonnereau leased 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) of Christchurch Park
to the corporation in 1851.
The Municipal Corporations Act 1882
gave powers to the corporation to make byelaws and to acquire land and buildings.
In 1895 Felix Cobbold gave Christchurch Mansion
to the town on condition that the corporation buys the rest of the property who completed the purchase later in the year.
Following the Local Government Act 1888
the county of Suffolk was split into East Suffolk
and West Suffolk
for administrative purposes and the term administrative county
was introduced. Ipswich was retained its independence as a county borough
.
In 1901 the corporation purchased the town's tram system from Ipswich Tramway Company as authorised by the Ipswich Corporation Act of 1900.
In 1903, the corporation purchased one of six packages of land which was formerly part of the Hill House Estate and home of the Byles family and created Alexandra Park
, named after the wife of Edward VII.
In 1927 the land where Chantry Park is now situated had been sold for housing development and was then purchased by Sir Arthur Churchman (later Lord Woodbridge) and gave it to Ipswich Corporation to be held in permanent trust for the people of Ipswich.
In 1929 the corporation purchased 147 acres (59.5 ha) of land to create a municipal airport for Ipswich. Ipswich Airport
was constructed the following year and was then officially opened by H.R.H. Prince Edward
on 26 June 1930 who described the facility as "one of the finest in the country".
In 1973 Anglian Water
Authority was formed by the Water Act 1973
and took over various services run by the corporation.
The county borough of Ipswich was abolished in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972
and Ipswich became a Non-metropolitan district
with borough status
.
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
that owned property and government to town. The corporation kept highly details accounts of their operation, a great deal of which survives to this day. After a successful period of four centuries surviving plague and many other challenges governance of the borough descended into chaos after the restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
in 1660. This lasted until new structures were imposed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
which created the Municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Ipswich. Since the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
Ipswich has been a Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
with borough status
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
.
Early years
King JohnJohn of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
granted a royal charter to the town in 1200. Unusually the immediately resolved to record proceedings in 'Great Domesday Book of Ipswich'. The original documents were stolen in 1272. Its contents were however already noted and a new copy was made later. In 1290 'The Little domesday book of Ipswich' was compiled based on what could be recollected at the time. A further copy was made in the 14th century.
In 1611 the corporation 'adventured', £100 towards the cost of ships to sail to Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown Settlement is a name used by the Commonwealth of Virginia's portion of the historical sites and museums at Jamestown. Jamestown was the first successful English settlement on the mainland of North America...
, in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
13 years before The Mayflower.
Following the restoration in 1660 the governance of the corporation declined until the Municipal Corporations Act 1835
Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
again brought order. The borough was both subject to disastrous manipulation by Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
and James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
and also by the rise of party politics. The town was strongly puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
and during the winter of 1662/63 Royal commissioners arrived to enforce the Corporation Act 1661
Corporation Act 1661
The Corporation Act of 1661 is an Act of the Parliament of England . It belongs to the general category of test acts, designed for the express purpose of restricting public offices in England to members of the Church of England....
and ask all officeholders and freeman to renounce the 'Puritan Covenant'. Half of the assembly were purged. In 1684 the charter was then called in and replaced by another which named to new officeholders and for the first time in its history Portmen were imposed on the town many of whom were outsiders, Freemen were refused participation in the borough government. The aim was to create a compliant closed corporation. Control over the Holy Rood Fair which took place on St Margaret's Green was passed to the Corporation. A further charter was imposed by James II in 1688 without revoking the earlier charter and the result was confusion and chaos and permanent problems in 1835.
In 1719 the corporation blocked proposals to make the River Orwell
River Orwell
The River Orwell flows through the county of Suffolk in England. Its source river, above the tidal limit at Stoke Bridge, is known as the River Gipping. It broadens into an estuary at Ipswich where the Ipswich dock has operated since the 7th century and then flows into the North Sea at Felixstowe...
navigable as far as Stowmarket
Stowmarket
-See also:* Stowmarket Town F.C.* Stowmarket High School-External links:* * * * *...
; further plans were raised in 1790 and the work was completed by 1793 after which numerous maltings were soon operating in Stowmarket.
Until the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
Members of parliament for Ipswich were selected for the Ipswich Parliament constituency
Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency)
Ipswich is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
by the Ipswich Corporation. Elections during the 18th century in the town sometimes descended into physical fights between 'The Blues' (who supported the conservatives) and 'The Yellows' (who supported the Whigs or Liberals) with the behaviour of the politicians being described as 'miserable' and local and national elections often ending in a competition of who could be bribed and for what price. Following the Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
all male householders living in properties worth at least ten pounds a year were given the right to vote and process of voter registration. The act was intended to "take effectual Measures for correcting diverse Abuses that have long prevailed in the Choice of Members to serve in the Commons House of Parliament
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
."
From 1835 to 1974
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835Municipal Corporations Act 1835
The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 – sometimes known as the Municipal Reform Act, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in the incorporated boroughs of England and Wales...
created the Municipal borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
of Ipswich. This followed an investigation into Municipal corporations which had concluded that the existing Municipal Corporations of England and Wales neither possess nor deserve the confidence or respect of Your Majesty's subjects Subsequent of the 1835 Act a Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
was elected, together with a High Steward, Recorder, ten Aldermen and thirty Councillors.
Between 1835 and 1842 there were five parliamentary elections and all were found to have been corrupt and in all seven members of parliament were unseated. In 1841 votes were openly for sale at £15.
W.C. Fonnereau leased 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) of Christchurch Park
Christchurch Park
Christchurch Park is a area of rolling lawns, wooded areas, and delicately created arboreta in central Ipswich, Suffolk, England. It contains Christchurch Mansion which holds a public museum and art gallery. The park opened as the town's first public park in 1895.-History:From the 12th century the...
to the corporation in 1851.
The Municipal Corporations Act 1882
Municipal Corporations Act 1882
The Municipal Corporations Act 1882 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It replaced existing legislation governing municipal boroughs in England and Wales, and gave the corporations powers to make byelaws and to acquire land and buildings. Municipal boroughs continued to be...
gave powers to the corporation to make byelaws and to acquire land and buildings.
In 1895 Felix Cobbold gave Christchurch Mansion
Christchurch Mansion
Christchurch Mansion is a substantial Tudor brick mansion house within Christchurch Park on the edge of the town centre of Ipswich, Suffolk, England...
to the town on condition that the corporation buys the rest of the property who completed the purchase later in the year.
Following the Local Government Act 1888
Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales...
the county of Suffolk was split into East Suffolk
East Suffolk
East Suffolk, along with West Suffolk, was created in 1888 as an administrative county of England. The administrative county was based on the eastern quarter sessions division of Suffolk...
and West Suffolk
West Suffolk
West Suffolk was an administrative county of England created in 1889 from part of the county of Suffolk. It survived until 1974 when it was rejoined with East Suffolk. Its county town was Bury St Edmunds....
for administrative purposes and the term administrative county
Administrative county
An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....
was introduced. Ipswich was retained its independence as a county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
.
In 1901 the corporation purchased the town's tram system from Ipswich Tramway Company as authorised by the Ipswich Corporation Act of 1900.
In 1903, the corporation purchased one of six packages of land which was formerly part of the Hill House Estate and home of the Byles family and created Alexandra Park
Alexandra Park, Ipswich
Alexandra Park, Ipswich is a moderately sized public park situated between Grove Lane, Kings Avenue and Back Hamlet, Ipswich.-History:In 1903, the Ipswich Corporation purchased one of six packages of land which was formerly part of the Hill House Estate and home of the Byles family...
, named after the wife of Edward VII.
In 1927 the land where Chantry Park is now situated had been sold for housing development and was then purchased by Sir Arthur Churchman (later Lord Woodbridge) and gave it to Ipswich Corporation to be held in permanent trust for the people of Ipswich.
In 1929 the corporation purchased 147 acres (59.5 ha) of land to create a municipal airport for Ipswich. Ipswich Airport
Ipswich Airport
Ipswich Airport is a former airfield on the outskirts of Ipswich, Suffolk England.-History:The site of Ravens Wood was purchased by the Ipswich Corporation in 1929 with the intention of creating a municipal airport for Ipswich, with construction starting in the following year. The airport was...
was constructed the following year and was then officially opened by H.R.H. Prince Edward
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
on 26 June 1930 who described the facility as "one of the finest in the country".
In 1973 Anglian Water
Anglian Water
Anglian Water is a privatised water company that operates in the East of England. Named for East Anglia, apart from Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire it also covers Lincolnshire, Essex, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, a small part of north Nottinghamshire and Greater London...
Authority was formed by the Water Act 1973
Water Act 1973
The Water Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reorganised the water, sewage and river management industry in England and Wales...
and took over various services run by the corporation.
The county borough of Ipswich was abolished in 1974 following the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
and Ipswich became a Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
with borough status
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
.
Acts of parliament
The following acts of parliament relate to, or mention the Ipswich Corporation:-- Ipswich Corporation Act of 1900
- Ipswich Corporation Act 1948
- Ipswich Corporation (Trolley Vehicles) Order Confirmation Act 1931
- Ipswich Corporation (Trolley Vehicles) Order Confirmation Act 1935
- Ipswich Corporation (Trolley Vehicles) Order Confirmation Act 1938
- Ipswich Corporation Act 1911
- Ipswich Corporation Act 1925
- IPSWICH CORPORATION (TROLLEY VEHICLES) PROVISIONAL ORDER BILL (in 1946)
- Telecommunications Act 1984
- The Communications Act 2003 (Consequential Amendments) Order 2003 (No. 2155)