Municipal Borough of Finchley
Encyclopedia
Finchley was a local government district in Middlesex
, England
, from 1878 to 1965. It formed part of the northern suburbs of London
and was within the Metropolitan Police District
and London Passenger Transport Area
. Its former area now forms part of the London Borough of Barnet
.
to govern the town on grounds of cost. However, this meant that the area was grouped with a number of other parishes under the control of Barnet Rural Sanitary Authority
in 1873. It was the fear of losing power over local administration to Barnet
that was to lead the ratepayers of Finchley to adopt the 1858 legislation. Finchley Local Board was formed in 1878, consisting of twelve members. There was tension between the ratepayers of North Finchley and the wealthier Church End area as those owning more property had more votes under the weighted voting system used. A proposal to merge with the neighbouring Friern Barnet
Local Government District in 1881 was not carried out.
redesignated various urban local government areas as urban district
s, and replaced local boards with directly elected urban district councils. The tension that had existed in the local board continued among the twelve-member council until the urban district was divided into three wards (East, North and West), each electing four councillors, in 1898.
to create Finchley a municipal borough
. This was in response to fears that the area would be absorbed by the County of London
, or lose powers to Middlesex County Council. Application was not made until March 1932, however, when a petition to the privy council
was made by the inhabitant householders of the urban district. The petition was successful, and on 5 October 1933, the charter was presented to the Charter Mayor, councillor Vyvyan Wells by the Earl of Athlone
.
The town council consisted of a mayor
, six aldermen
and eighteen councillors. Two councillors were elected for each of the three wards annually, and half of the aldermen were elected by the council every three years. The borough council subsequently increased in size in 1950 to twenty-four councillors and eight aldermen, with three councillors and one alderman representing each of eight wards: Glebe, Manor, Moss Hall, St Mary's, St Paul's, The Bishop's, Tudor, and Whetstone.
. Opposition was provided by a handful of independents and a single Labour Party
councillor. There was little or no change in the composition of the council prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, when elections were cancelled.
Following the ending of the conflict, elections were again held in 1945, with Independents taking every seat on the council. The Conservatives were able to regain a majority at the 1949 council election. From the enlargement of the council in 1950 to the elections of 1957 the membership was twenty-nine Conservatives and three Labour members. In the latter year Liberals returned to the council, and quickly became the second-largest group on the council. At the final elections to Finchley council in 1963, the Liberals gained a majority of councillors and aldermen, with 19 seats to 13 for the Conservatives.
by the College of Arms
by letters patent
dated 10 July 1933. The arms were blazon
ed as follows:
The arms had a green field, across which was placed a "raguly" chevron: the rough edges suggesting sawn off branches. Together these represented the oak woods that once covered much of Finchley. The area had been a favourite hunting ground of the Tudor monarchs, indicated by the hunting horns and Tudor Rose
. The bishop's mitre recalled that much of Finchley belonged to the Bishops of London
. The crest, placed on top of a helm and mantling, was an heraldic pun: a finch supporting a shield bearing a fleur de lis, for Finchley. The dexter supporter was a lion, from the arms of the Countess of Pembroke, from whom the Comptons, lord of the manor
were descended. The sinister supporter was a stag, referring back to the ancient forest.
, the municipal borough was abolished, with its area merging with the municipal borough of Hendon
and the urban districts of Barnet
, East Barnet
and Friern Barnet to form the London Borough of Barnet on 1 April 1965.
Since 1963 Le Raincy
, France
Since 1962 Montclair
, United States
Since 1945 Siegen-Wittgenstein
, Germany
Since 1951
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, from 1878 to 1965. It formed part of the northern suburbs of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and was within the Metropolitan Police District
Metropolitan Police District
The Metropolitan Police District is the police area which is policed by London's Metropolitan Police Service. It currently consists of Greater London, excluding the City of London.-History:...
and London Passenger Transport Area
London Passenger Transport Board
The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, UK, and its environs from 1933 to 1948...
. Its former area now forms part of the London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 331,500 and covers . It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: Harrow and Brent to the west, Camden and Haringey to the south-east and Enfield to the...
.
Formation
The parish of Finchley had no local government in the modern sense until the nineteenth century. The parish initially resisted adopting the Local Government Act 1858 and forming a local boardLocal board of health
Local Boards or Local Boards of Health were local authorities in urban areas of England and Wales from 1848 to 1894. They were formed in response to cholera epidemics and were given powers to control sewers, clean the streets, regulate slaughterhouses and ensure the proper supply of water to their...
to govern the town on grounds of cost. However, this meant that the area was grouped with a number of other parishes under the control of Barnet Rural Sanitary Authority
Sanitary district
Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1875 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures:*Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies...
in 1873. It was the fear of losing power over local administration to Barnet
Barnet
High Barnet or Chipping Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet, North London, England. It is a suburban development built around a twelfth-century settlement and is located north north-west of Charing Cross. Its name is often abbreviated to Barnet, which is also the name of the London...
that was to lead the ratepayers of Finchley to adopt the 1858 legislation. Finchley Local Board was formed in 1878, consisting of twelve members. There was tension between the ratepayers of North Finchley and the wealthier Church End area as those owning more property had more votes under the weighted voting system used. A proposal to merge with the neighbouring Friern Barnet
Friern Barnet
Friern Barnet is a place in the London Borough of Barnet. It is a suburban development situated north of Charing Cross. The centre of Friern Barnet is formed by the busy intersection of Colney Hatch Lane , Woodhouse Road and Friern Barnet Road .-History:Friern Barnet was an...
Local Government District in 1881 was not carried out.
Urban district
The Local Government Act 1894Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...
redesignated various urban local government areas as urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
s, and replaced local boards with directly elected urban district councils. The tension that had existed in the local board continued among the twelve-member council until the urban district was divided into three wards (East, North and West), each electing four councillors, in 1898.
Incorporation
In 1926 consideration was first given to applying for a charter of incorporationRoyal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
to create Finchley a 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...
. This was in response to fears that the area would be absorbed by the County of London
County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...
, or lose powers to Middlesex County Council. Application was not made until March 1932, however, when a petition to the privy council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
was made by the inhabitant householders of the urban district. The petition was successful, and on 5 October 1933, the charter was presented to the Charter Mayor, councillor Vyvyan Wells by the Earl of Athlone
Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone
Major-General Alexander Augustus Frederick William Alfred George Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone , was a close relative of the shared British and Canadian royal family, as well as a British military commander and major-general who served as Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, the...
.
The town council consisted of 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....
, six aldermen
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
and eighteen councillors. Two councillors were elected for each of the three wards annually, and half of the aldermen were elected by the council every three years. The borough council subsequently increased in size in 1950 to twenty-four councillors and eight aldermen, with three councillors and one alderman representing each of eight wards: Glebe, Manor, Moss Hall, St Mary's, St Paul's, The Bishop's, Tudor, and Whetstone.
Borough council
The borough council was initially controlled by the Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. Opposition was provided by a handful of independents and a single Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
councillor. There was little or no change in the composition of the council prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, when elections were cancelled.
Following the ending of the conflict, elections were again held in 1945, with Independents taking every seat on the council. The Conservatives were able to regain a majority at the 1949 council election. From the enlargement of the council in 1950 to the elections of 1957 the membership was twenty-nine Conservatives and three Labour members. In the latter year Liberals returned to the council, and quickly became the second-largest group on the council. At the final elections to Finchley council in 1963, the Liberals gained a majority of councillors and aldermen, with 19 seats to 13 for the Conservatives.
Coat of arms
Following the successful petition for municipal incorporation, the borough council was granted armorial bearingsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
by the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
by letters patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
dated 10 July 1933. The arms were blazon
Blazon
In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image...
ed as follows:
Vert on a Chevron raguly between in chief two Bugle Horns stringed Or and in base a Mitre Argent garnished Gold a Rose Gules surmounted by another Argent.
And for a Crest On a Wreath Or and Vert a Finch proper resting the dexter claw on an Escutcheon Or changed with a Fleur-de-Lys Gules.
Supporters: On the dexter side a Lion and on the sinister side a Stag proper each gorged with a Collar suspended therefrom a Bugle Horn ensigned with a Ducal Coronet Or.
The arms had a green field, across which was placed a "raguly" chevron: the rough edges suggesting sawn off branches. Together these represented the oak woods that once covered much of Finchley. The area had been a favourite hunting ground of the Tudor monarchs, indicated by the hunting horns and Tudor Rose
Tudor rose
The Tudor Rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty.-Origins:...
. The bishop's mitre recalled that much of Finchley belonged to the Bishops of London
Diocese of London
The Anglican Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north and west. The present diocese covers and 17 London boroughs, covering most of Greater...
. The crest, placed on top of a helm and mantling, was an heraldic pun: a finch supporting a shield bearing a fleur de lis, for Finchley. The dexter supporter was a lion, from the arms of the Countess of Pembroke, from whom the Comptons, lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
were descended. The sinister supporter was a stag, referring back to the ancient forest.
Abolition
Under the London Government Act 1963London Government Act 1963
The London Government Act 1963 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which recognised officially the conurbation known as Greater London and created a new local government structure for the capital. The Act significantly reduced the number of local government districts in the area,...
, the municipal borough was abolished, with its area merging with the municipal borough of Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
and the urban districts of Barnet
Barnet Urban District
Barnet was a local government district in south Hertfordshire from 1863 to 1965 around the town of Barnet.-Creation:Barnet Local Government District was created on September 25, 1863 under the Local Government Act 1858, and was governed by a local board...
, East Barnet
East Barnet Urban District
East Barnet was a local government district in south Hertfordshire from 1863 to 1965 around the town of East Barnet.The district was created under the Local Government Act 1858 on September 25, 1863, as East Barnet Valley Local Government District. The district was governed by a local board...
and Friern Barnet to form the London Borough of Barnet on 1 April 1965.
Twinning
Finchley Borough had four twin towns, the London Borough of Barnet continues these links. Jinja, UgandaJinja, Uganda
Jinja is the largest town in Uganda, Africa. It is the second busiest commercial center in the country, after Kampala, Uganda's capital and only city. Jinja was established in 1907.-Location:...
Since 1963 Le Raincy
Le Raincy
Le Raincy is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Le Raincy is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Le Raincy....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Since 1962 Montclair
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Since 1945 Siegen-Wittgenstein
Siegen-Wittgenstein
Siegen-Wittgenstein is a Kreis in the southeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Neighboring districts are Olpe, Hochsauerlandkreis, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Lahn-Dill, Westerwaldkreis, Altenkirchen.-History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Since 1951
See also
- History of FinchleyHistory of FinchleyThe History of Finchley charts its transformation from a rural parish on the edge of the Forest of Middlesex to its present situation as a mainly residential suburb of Greater London....
- History of Church End FinchleyHistory of Church End FinchleyHistory of Church End describes the development of Church End, a district in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England.-Local landmarks:*La Delivrance*Christ's College Finchley*Avenue House*College Farm-Hendon Lane and the Church:...
- History of East Finchley
- History of North FinchleyHistory of North Finchley- Tally Ho Corner and the High Road :North End, the old name for the area of North Finchley and Whetstone, was first recorded in 1462. North Finchley did not develop into an urban area until after the enclosure of Finchley Common after 1816. Prior to that, in 1627, Thomas Rawson was allowed to...
- Victoria County HistoryVictoria County HistoryThe Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 and was dedicated to Queen Victoria with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of...