Borough

A borough is a local government administrative subdivision used in the Canadian province of Quebec, in some states of the United States, and formerly in New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, boroughs are also to be found in England and Northern Ireland.

Historical boroughs

England

Municipal boroughs

In England, boroughs originally developed as a method of providing a corporate identity for a town, particularly in relation to rights obtained from local barons or from the English Crown. The formal status of borough came to be conferred by Royal Charter.

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These boroughs were generally governed by a self-selecting corporation (ie, when a member died or resigned his replacement would be by co-option). Sometimes boroughs were governed by bailiffs or headboroughs.

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Debates on the Reform Bill (eventually the Reform Act 1832) had highlighted the variations in systems of governance of towns, and a Royal Commission was set up to investigate the issue. This resulted, in a regularisation of municipal government in 1835, with all municipal corporations to be elected according to a standard franchise, based on property ownership. At the same time, a procedure was established whereby a town could petition Parliament to be given borough status.

Related Topics:
Royal Commission - 1835 - Petition

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The reform of county government in 1888 established the county borough, a city or town that had a corporation as any other borough, but with additional powers equivalent to those of a county council. The older form of borough then became known as a municipal borough.

Related Topics:
1888 - County borough - County council

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As part of a large-scale reform of local government in England in 1974, both county boroughs and municipal boroughs were abolished. However, a former borough retained the right to the title, as well as some of its traditional dignities, such as its coat of arms.

Related Topics:
1974 - Coat of arms

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Parliamentary boroughs

From 1265, two burgesses from each borough were summonded to the Parliament of England, alongside two knights from each county. Representation in the House of Commons was decided by the House itself, which resulted in many cases of a borough being represented in Parliament despite it having no corporation or mayor (or vice versa).

Related Topics:
1265 - Parliament of England - Knights - County - House of Commons

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By the 19th century the population changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution had created a situation in which a major conurbation might have no representation in Parliament, whilst towns which had declined in size to mere villages still retained their seat. Additionally, the electoral franchise varied from borough to borough, some of which had become rotten boroughs.

Related Topics:
19th century - Industrial Revolution - Rotten borough

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The Reform Act 1832 sought to rationalise this system to some extent, as well as eliminating corrupt practices. Many boroughs, some of which existed in little more than name, were disenfranchised, whilst some of the industrial towns which had developed in the North came to be represented in Parliament for the first time.

Related Topics:
Reform Act 1832 - North

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Subsequent Reform Acts gave more parliamentary seats to the expanding boroughs, whilst disenfranchising the smaller ones. From 1884, voters in county and borough seats had the same franchise, so the distinction between the two was essentially eliminated; however, on the assumption that the smaller, urban boroughs would require less travelling for electoral candidates than in the larger, more rural county seats, the distinction between the two sorts of constituency was retained for the purposes of calculating maximum permitted electoral expenses.

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Metropolitan boroughs

In 1899, as part of a reform of local government in the County of London, the various parishes in the county were reorganised as a new entity, the metropolitan borough. These became reorganised as London Boroughs in a subsequent reform, in 1965.

Related Topics:
1899 - London - 1965

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As part of the 1974 reform of local government in England, six major urban areas were established as "metropolitan counties", subdivided into "metropolitan districts". A number of those districts over time were granted the dignity of "borough", and thus became known as a metropolitan borough.

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New Zealand

New Zealand formerly used the term borough to designate self-governing towns of smaller than city size.

Related Topics:
New Zealand - City

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New Zealand's borough councils were effectively abolished in 1989 in favour of enlarged city and district councils.

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