Royton was, from 1863 to 1974, a local government district in Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, 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...

 which covered the modern-day town of Royton

Royton

Royton is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies by the source of the River Irk, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines, north-northwest of Oldham, south-southeast of Rochdale and northeast of the city of Manchester.Historically a...

, and its suburbs and districts.

It covered a significant area to the north-west of the County Borough of Oldham

County Borough of Oldham

Oldham was, from 1849 to 1974, a local government district in the northwest of England coterminate with the town of Oldham.-Improvement Commissioners:...

, and formed part of the Oldham parliamentary constituency

Oldham (UK Parliament constituency)

Oldham was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Oldham, England. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...

 (abolished in 1950).

History

The township

Township (England)

In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...

 of Royton historically lay in the large parish of Prestwich-cum-Oldham

Prestwich-cum-Oldham

Prestwich-cum-Oldham was an ancient ecclesiastical parish of the hundred of Salford, within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire, England...

. In 1863 Royton Local Government District was created when the township adopted the Local Government Act 1858. A local board

Local 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...

 was formed to govern the town. In 1879 the district was enlarged by the addition of part of Thornham township. The Local Government Act 1894

Local 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...

 reconstituted the area as an 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....

, and Royton Urban District Council replaced the local board. The urban district was divided into five wards: Dogford, Dryclough, Haggate, Heyside, and Thornham, with each ward returning three councillors to the fifteen-member council. The only change to boundaries was in 1933, when the Lancashire (Manchester and District) Review Order

Local Government Act 1929

The Local Government Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales....

added a small area from the neighbouring Municipal Borough of Middleton

Municipal Borough of Middleton

The Municipal Borough of Middleton was, from 1886 to 1974, a municipal borough in the administrative county of Lancashire, England, coterminate with the town of Middleton.-Civic history:...

.

In 1974 Royton Urban District was abolished by 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 its former area transferred to Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester

Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...

 to form part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham

Metropolitan Borough of Oldham

The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 219,600, and spans . The borough is named after its largest town, Oldham, but also includes the outlying towns of Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton and Shaw and Crompton, the village of...

.