Acton 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-l ...

district in

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

from 1865 to 1965.

Formation

In 1865 the

Local Government Act 1858 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 environmenta ...

was adopted by the parish of Acton, and a twelve-member

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 environmenta ...

was formed to govern the area. The

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) 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 un ...

constituted the area an urban district, and an urban district council of fifteen councillors replaced the local board. The number of councillors was increased to sixteen in 1906. In 1921 the town was granted a charter of incorporation to become a

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. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

. The borough council consisted of a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

, six

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 the ...

and twenty-four councillors.

Coat of arms

On incorporation in 1921 the borough was granted a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

by the

College of Arms The College of Arms, or Heralds' College, is a royal corporation consisting of professional officers of arms, with jurisdiction over England, Wales, Northern Ireland and some Commonwealth realms. The heralds are appointed by the British Sovere ...

. The shield featured an oak tree and the crest a branch of oak, both in reference to the derivation of the name "Acton" from "Oak Town". At the top of the shield were the arms of Middlesex County Council between an open book and a cogwheel for education and industry in the borough respectively. In 1926, the Borough Council granted permission for the Canadian village of Acton, Ontario to adopt a variant of its coat of arms, substituting maple leaves for the oak leaves in the original, which it used until 1974.

Later history

Prior to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

the borough council was controlled by the Conservative Party. In post-war elections control passed to the Labour Party.''Acton: Local Government'', in ''Victoria County History of Middlesex'', Vol. 7 (British History Online), accessed January 22, 2008
/ref> In 1965 the municipal borough was abolished and its former area transferred to Greater London to be combined with that of other districts to form the

London Borough of Ealing The London Borough of Ealing () is a London borough in West London. It comprises seven major towns: Acton (W3), Ealing (W5, W13, NW10), Greenford (UB6), Hanwell (W7), Northolt (UB5), Perivale (UB6) and Southall (UB1, UB2). With a population ...

. The oak from the coat of arms is now present in the coat of arms of the London Borough of Ealing.

References

External links

Vision of Britain
- Action UD / MB {{DEFAULTSORT:Acton History of the London Borough of Ealing Acton Acton Acton Municipal boroughs of England History of local government in Middlesex Acton, London

Formation

Coat of arms

Later history

See also

References

External links