Bristol City Council, formerly known as The Bristol Corporation (and colloquially as "The Corporation"), is the

local government authority A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The phrase i ...

governing the city of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England. Following the

Norman conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, Duchy of Brittany, Breton, County of Flanders, Flemish, and Kingdom of France, French troops, ...

in 1066, successive royal charters granted increasing rights of local governance to Bristol. County status was attained in 1373 and city status in the early sixteenth century. Bristol Corporation was established in the nineteenth century and the office of Lord Mayor was created in 1888. Following a brief period as part of the

county of Avon Avon () was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in the west of England that existed between 1974 and 1996. The county was named after the River Avon, which flows through the area. It was formed from the county boroughs of Bristol and Ba ...

in the late twentieth century, Bristol regained its status as a city and county in 1996.

Origins

The exact date of establishment of a

town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second ti ...

is unknown. The

Domesday survey Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

recorded that Bristol, then known as ''Brygstowe'' was part of the royal manor of Barton and was a borough governed by a reeve, and assessed at 110 marks. Charters confirming rights and duties were granted by Henry II in 1172 and by

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

in 1190. The first known mayor was Roger Cordwainer, who is referred to in Crown documents from the summer of 1216. He, however, appears to have been an appointee of King John. The first mayor chosen by the townspeople was Adam Le Page, who took office on 29 September 1216. As the town developed the mayor was assisted by provosts, later known as stewards and bailiffs. A list of mayors dating from 1216 was published by the

town clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a To ...

, Robert Ricart, in 1479. A charter granted by Henry III in 1256, extended the town's rights, enabling the burgesses to choose

coroners A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's jur ...

and to

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

the fees payable to the king.

County and city status

In 1373,

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

granted a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

to Bristol stating that: Bristol was the first provincial town to be given this status. Bristol was first described as a city in a charter of

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

in 1581, but this document suggests that Bristol had been granted city status at the time of Henry VII. The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 established Bristol Corporation, which consisted of 48

councillor 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 ...

s and 18

aldermen 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 them ...

. The term Corporation of Bristol or Bristol Corporation, encompassing the mayor and common council, had been in use since the eighteenth century at least. Bristol became a county borough in 1888 and the boundaries were extended into

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

and

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

Mayors

The first historically recorded mayor of Bristol was Roger Cordewainer who is referred to in orders issued by King John in 1216. He, however, was a royal appointment. From the middle ages to the nineteenth century Bristol treated Adam le Page (appointed 29 September 1216) as its first mayor, probably because he was the first to be chosen by the town for an annual one-year office. Following the Bristol riots of 1831 the then incumbent mayor of Bristol Charles Pinney was tried in London for negligence, but found innocent. This was one of many local disturbances throughout England leading to the

Municipal Corporation Act 1835 The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will 4 c 76), 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. The legisl ...

and the installation of a permanent mayoral office. From early times the mayor was the chief officer of the council, elected by the members of the common council. The position of mayoress was usually held by the wife or daughter of the mayor. In 1899,

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

granted the mayor the right to be styled ''Lord Mayor''. When a woman served she was still referred to as lord mayor, rather than lady mayoress. In 2012, the new post of

Mayor of Bristol The Mayor of Bristol is the head of government of Bristol and the chief executive of the Bristol City Council. The mayor is a directly elected politician who, along with the 70 members of Bristol City Council, is responsible for the strategic ...

was created following a referendum held on 3 May. The first elections to the new post were held on 15 November 2012, and resulted in the election of George Ferguson (Independent). This post differs from that of the Lord Mayor. It will be an executive role as opposed to the first citizen civic representative role of the Lord Mayor. In 2017 the elected role of

Mayor of the West of England The Mayor of the West of England is the directly elected mayor responsible for the strategic government of the West of England, including planning, transport and skills. For this purpose the West of England is defined as the local authority area ...

was created covering an area that includes Bristol with new powers outside the Mayor of Bristol role. In December 2021, the majority of opposition councillors backed a legally binding motion to hold a referendum on the future of the role of the Elected Mayor of Bristol. The referendum, which took place in May 2022, offered Bristolians the choice of keeping an elected mayor or going back to the committee system of governance that was in place before Ferguson became the city’s first directly elected mayor in November 2012. The result was 59% of voters choosing to abolish the role of mayor at the end of current Mayor Marvin Rees' term in 2024.

Avon and after

From 1974 to 1996, Bristol was subsumed into the new

following the

Redcliffe-Maud Report The Redcliffe-Maud Report (Cmnd. 4040) was published in 1969 by the '' Royal Commission on Local Government in England'', under the chairmanship of Lord Redcliffe-Maud. Although the commission's proposals were broadly accepted by the Labour gove ...

. Avon was abolished in 1996 and the city became a

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

, styled as the City and County of Bristol. In 2017 the

West of England Combined Authority The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is a combined authority within the West of England area, consisting of the local authorities of Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset. The combined authority is led by the ...

and

were created covering the local authorities of

South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire is a unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, South West England. Towns in the area include Yate, Chipping Sodbury, Thornbury, Filton, Patchway and Bradley Stoke, the latter three forming part ...

, and

Bath and North East Somerset Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) is a unitary authority district in England. Bath and North East Somerset Council was created on 1 April 1996 following the abolition of the county of Avon. It is part of the ceremonial county of Somerset. Th ...

. Powers include transport and strategic planning for the combined areas.

References

{{reflist History of Bristol

Local government in Bristol

Origins

County and city status

Mayors

Avon and after

See also

References