Stretford was, from 1868 to 1974, a

local government district The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...

coterminate with the town of Stretford,

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...

, England.

Local Board and Urban District

In 1868 the

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

of Stretford adopted 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 ...

, and a

local board 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 town. In 1889 the district became part of the

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...

. 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 ...

reconstituted the local board's area as Stretford Urban District. An urban district council of eighteen members replaced the local board. The urban district was divided into six wards, each returning three councillors: Clifford, Cornbrook, Longford, Stretford, Talbot and Trafford. In 1933 the urban district was enlarged when the

Davyhulme Davyhulme is an area of Greater Manchester, England, historically in Lancashire. The population at the 2011 census was 19,634. Davyhulme Sewage Works The area is notable for Davyhulme Sewage Works, one of the largest wastewater treatment p ...

area was added on the abolition of the neighbouring Barton upon Irwell Rural District by a

county review order 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. The Act abolished the system of poor law unions in England and Wales and their boar ...

Municipal borough

In 1933 the urban district was granted a

charter of incorporation 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 ...

and Stretford became a municipal borough. The charter was formally presented by the

Earl of Derby Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...

Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of thes ...

at a Charter Day celebration held on 16 September. At the same time the Earl officially opened the Town Hall.

Political control

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 ...

, eight

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. The charter mayor was Sir Thomas Robinson, who had been

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for the Stretford constituency until 1931. One third of the councillors were elected annually, while half of the aldermen were chosen by the council every three years. The Conservative Party controlled the borough from 1933 to 1945. From 1945 to 1947 the council was under no overall control. The Conservatives regained control in 1947 and held it until 1962. After two years with no party in a majority, the Labour and Conservative parties alternated in power for the last ten years of the borough's existence: Labour had a majority from 1964 to 1967, Conservatives 1967 to 1972 and Labour from 1972 to 1974.The Times, May 8, 1964, p.10; May 12, 1967, p.3; May 6, 1972

Coat of arms

On 20 February 1933, Stretford Urban District Council was granted

armorial bearings 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 it ...

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 ...

.Geoffrey Briggs, ''Civic and corporate Heraldry: A Dictionary of Impersonal Arms of England, Wales & N. Ireland'', London, 1971 The arms continued in use when the borough was incorporated. The arms were

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vi ...

ed as follows: The lion in the centre of the shield represented John of Gaunt, while the red roses were the county emblems for Lancashire. The "lymphad" or ancient ship at the base of the arms indicated that the area had maritime connections via the Rivers

Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...

and Irwell. The arms were completed by a crossed flail and scythe. The scythe was emblematic of the agricultural past of the area, while the flail came from the arms of the Trafford family. The crest on the helm above the shield was an arm grasping a golden thunderbolt, symbolising the modern industries of Stretford. The design was completed by a coronet of Lancastrian roses.

Abolition

The borough was abolished by the Local Government Act 1972, and its former area transferred to the new county of

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...

in 1974, to form part of the

Metropolitan Borough of Trafford Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of 235,493 in 2017. It covers Retrieved on 13 December 2007. and includes the area of Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Urm ...

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stretford Districts of England created by the Local Government Act 1894 Districts of England abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 History of Lancashire History of Trafford Local government in Trafford Municipal boroughs of England

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 ...