Greenwich was a
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
district within the metropolitan area of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England from 1855 to 1900. It was formed by the
Metropolis Management Act 1855
The Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c.120) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the Metropolitan Board of Works, a London-wide body to co-ordinate the construction of the city's infrastructure. The Act al ...
and was governed by the Greenwich District Board of Works, which consisted of elected vestrymen.
Until 1889 the district was partly in the counties of
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, but included in the area of the
Metropolitan Board of Works
The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW) was the principal instrument of local government in a wide area of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, defined by the Metropolis Management Act 1855, from December 1855 until the establishment of the London County ...
. In 1889 the area of the MBW was constituted the
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 A ...
, and the district board became a local authority under the
London County Council
London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...
.
Area
The district comprised the following
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...
es
(electing members)
*
Deptford St Nicholas (Kent) (6)
*
Deptford St Paul
The Metropolitan Borough of Deptford was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it became part of the London Borough of Lewisham along with the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham.
History
The borough covered ...
(Kent), including Hatcham (Surrey) (21)
*
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
(Kent) (30)
Under the
Metropolis Management Act 1855
The Metropolis Management Act 1855 (18 & 19 Vict. c.120) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that created the Metropolitan Board of Works, a London-wide body to co-ordinate the construction of the city's infrastructure. The Act al ...
any parish that exceeded 2,000
ratepayers
Rates are a type of property tax system in the United Kingdom, and in places with systems deriving from the British one, the proceeds of which are used to fund local government. Some other countries have taxes with a more or less comparable role ...
was to be divided into wards; as such the parishes of Greenwich and St Paul Deptford within the Greenwich District Board of Works were each divided into four wards (electing
vestrymen
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
): Greenwich - No. 1 or Church (15), No. 2 or Ravensbourne (12), No. 3 or Hospital (12) and No. 4 or Blackheath (9).
St Paul Deptford - No. 1 or North (15), No. 2 or South (21), No. 3 or East (18) and No. 4 or West (18).
In 1894 as its population had increased the parish of Greenwich was re-divided into six wards (electing
vestrymen
A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.
Canada
Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
): No. 1 North (18), Marsh
os. 2 & 3 North(21), South East (18), South (12), West (15) and North West (12).
Mortality
The number of deaths reported were as follows. Greenwich parish was the location of
Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich Union Workhouse and
Dreadnought Hospital which explains the relatively higher death count.
Abolition
There was a proposal in 1862 to dissolve the Greenwich District. In the
Metropolis Management Amendment Bill there was provision that the Greenwich vestry would become incorporated as a local authority and the remaining area would have formed the Deptford District.
[Parliamentary Papers, House of Commons and Command: Volume 3, Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons, (1862), H.M. Stationery Office]
The district was abolished in 1900 and split as follows:
*Deptford St Nicholas to
Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich
The Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich was a Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London, metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965. It bordered the boroughs of Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich, Woolwich, Metropolitan B ...
*Deptford St Paul to
Metropolitan Borough of Deptford
The Metropolitan Borough of Deptford was a Metropolitan borough in the County of London between 1900 and 1965, when it became part of the London Borough of Lewisham along with the Metropolitan Borough of Lewisham.
History
The borough covere ...
*Greenwich to Metropolitan Borough of Greenwich
References
{{Metropolitan Board of Works
History of the Royal Borough of Greenwich
History of the London Borough of Lewisham
Districts (Metropolis)
1855 establishments in England