The Royal Commission on the Corporation of the City of London was a Royal Commission, established in 1853, which considered the local government arrangements of the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

and the surrounding metropolitan area.Young, K. & Garside, P., ''Metropolitan London: Politics and Urban Change'', (1982) Three commissioners were appointed by letters patent under the Great Seal on 20 June 1853, to enquire into ''the existing state of the Corporation of the city of London''. The commissioners were

Henry Labouchere Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, Sir John Patteson and

George Cornewall Lewis Sir George Cornewall Lewis, 2nd Baronet, (21 April 180613 April 1863) was a British statesman and man of letters. He is best known for preserving neutrality in 1862 when the British cabinet debated intervention in the American Civil War. Early ...

. The secretary was J. D. ColeridgeLondon Gazette, issue no. 21450, dated 21 June 1853 The commission's report was sent to the Home Office on 28 April 1854.

Report

The commission's report ( 772HC (1854) xxvi) made thirty-two recommendations (with the implementation of the proposals or effect if any in parentheses): #A governing charter be granted to the City of London. The city had no charter as such, being regulated by an inspeximus of Charles II which recited previous charters without detailing them. Consequently, there was uncertainty to the exact rights, powers and privileges of the corporation. (Not effected, left as was to date but the Corporation has sought Parliamentary sanction to alter certain constitutional matters as a local authority.) #The method of election of the Lord Mayor should be altered to conform with the Municipal Corporations Act 1835.(This would mean that the election was by the Court of Common Council. Remains as privilege of the Liverymen as to date.) #The method of electing

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 ...

should be reformed: each alderman should be elected for a six-year term by the burgesses, with one alderman elected in each

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. (Remained elected for life, then until aged 70 until 1992, as per Lord Chancellor's advice on retirement of JPs, and elected for six year terms from 2004.) As in

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 ...

s, aldermen would be ex officio

justices of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. (Ex officio JPs until 2004 when they had to qualify separately as JPs.) # Stipendiary magistrates for the city should be appointed in a similar way to the rest of England. (A Stipendiary was appointed to support and advise the Aldermen and 'lay' i.e. non Aldermanic voluntary JPs were appointed by the Corporation to support them.) #The

Court of Aldermen The Court of Aldermen forms part of the senior governance of the City of London Corporation. It comprises twenty-five aldermen of the City of London, presided over by the Lord Mayor (becoming senior alderman during his year of office). The Co ...

should be abolished, with its powers transferred to the Common Council. (Remains as part of the Court of Common Council but has duties in respect to the Livery and candidacy to Aldermanic Sheriff and Lord Mayor.) #The number of wards of the city should be reduced, to between 12 and 16. The new wards would be of broadly similar area and population, with boundaries fixed by local inquiry. (Never implemented with respect to the 25 Wards of the City. The 26th Ward 'Bridge Without' was abolished by the Corporation in 1978, there being no electorate, only an appointed Alderman.) #The size of the Common Council would be reduced, and it would absorb the Court of Aldermen. The new Common Council would have three common councilmen and one alderman for each ward. (Never implemented; at the time there were over 200 Councilmen. Common Councillors reduced to 100 in 2004, but annual election replaced by four year terms.) #The electors for council elections should be all occupiers with a rateable value of 10 shillings or more, with no additional qualification. (Implemented by the Corporation by automatically making all such tenure holders Freemen of the City.) #Elections in "Common Hall" should be abolished: this would end the influence of the livery companies on the corporation. (Never implemented for elections of ceremonial officers,

Bridge Master A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

s, Auditors,

Ale Conner Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Historically, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops. As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to bala ...

s, Sheriffs and Lord Mayor; the

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

, the

Remembrancer The Remembrancer was originally a subordinate officer of the English Exchequer. The office is of great antiquity, the holder having been termed remembrancer, memorator, rememorator, registrar, keeper of the register, despatcher of business. The R ...

and 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 Tow ...

became appointments of the Corporation directly in the late 1980s, even before then the 'election' was a formality of one candidate.) #The common council should continue to elect two sheriffs for the county of

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 ...

. (Privilege abolished in 1889 with creation of

Middlesex County Council Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965. The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the coun ...

's High Sheriff but the City Sheriffs were henceforth designated as 'for the City and for Middlesex'.) #The Lord Mayor's court and Sheriff's Court should be consolidated. (This was implemented by the Corporation; they were both civil courts and under the City's overall jurisdiction anyway, housed in buildings neighbouring each other.) #The Court of Hustings should be abolished. (Essentially for enrolling of Wills and similar formal documents so that other legislation substituted alternative procedures. Never implemented and specifically retained under the Administration of Justice Act 1977 as a ceremonial jurisdiction.) #The Court of St Martin's-le-Grand should be abolished. (Implemented as long in non-operation.) #The prohibition on anyone not a freeman of London to carry on a trade or handicraft in the city should be lifted. (Effected by the City by granting automatic entitlement of the Freedom to bona fide traders of the City as ipso facto ten shilling tenancy holders.) #The corporation should no longer be entitled to "metage" or duty on all fruit, grain and "measurable goods" landed on either side of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

from Staines to Yantlet creek in Kent. (Privileges abolished in 1868 but duty still levied to support construction and maintenance of Thames Bridges above Blackfriars to Staines.) #The Fellowship of Porters should be dissolved. (Technically not a City body so that its abolition did not affect its interests.) #Brokers should not be admitted as aldermen. (No disqualifications of Aldermen under this rule were implemented.) #All street tolls on carts entering or leaving the city should be abolished. (There were few such duties. In effect the same issue as the Coal Duty and Wine duty and was effected in 1868 when duties were distributed across the Metropolis primarily for bridges and other public works.) #The

and Metropolitan Police Forces should be amalgamated. (Never implemented to date.) #The Conservancy of the Thames should be transferred from the Corporation to a new Thames Navigation Board consisting of the Lord Mayor,

First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...

, President of the Board of Trade, First Commissioner of Woods and the Deputy Master of

Trinity House "Three In One" , formation = , founding_location = Deptford, London, England , status = Royal Charter corporation and registered charity , purpose = Maintenance of lighthouses, buoys and beacons , he ...

. (Implemented only by transfer of authority to the Port of London Authority but the City still, to date, remains the Port Health Authority.) #The exclusive privileges of the company of Watermen and Lightermen on the Thames should be abolished. (Training and

Apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

remains with the Company but the last vestige of it as a Licensing Authority was removed in 2009, its representatives are co-opted onto the necessary licensing bodies.) #The Corporation's accounts should be consolidated, as there was ''"an unnecessary complexity in the keeping of the city accounts and in the administration of its affairs is produced by the multiplication of departments and separate funds."'' (Largely ignored but the Corporation tidied up its procedures with the assistance of the Courts using cy-près orders.) #The money and securities of the Corporation should be lodged in the Bank of England. (Never implemented, the

is in effect a 'bank'; cheques and money orders are presented to his department in the same way as a clearing bank.) #Auditors should be appointed in a manner consistent with Municipal Corporations Act 1835. (Professional auditors were henceforth elected by Common Hall, rather than laymen/Liverymen.) #The provisions of the 1835 legislation in relation to mortgages on land and to making annual returns should be extended to the city. (Adopted by the City as a procedure in any event.) #

The Honourable The Irish Society The Honourable The Irish SocietyIn full, the "Society of the Governor and Assistants, London, of the New Plantation in Ulster, within the Realm of Ireland". is a consortium of livery companies of the City of London established during the Plantat ...

should be dissolved, and its properties administered as a trust established by parliament, with trustees appointed by the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. (Never implemented to date, the HIS is in effect a Committee of the Common Council.) #The boundaries of the City of London should not be altered, but its control over the Borough of Southwark should be ended. (Never implemented as such, the practical administration and legal jurisdictions of the City in Southwark through its

manorial Manorialism, also known as the manor system or manorial system, was the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of Europe, notably France and later England, during the Middle Ages. Its defining features included a large, sometimes forti ...

courts leet had been displaced by local civil parishes vestry boards,

poor law guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the poor ...

and other statutory bodies and the Metropolitan Police magistrates courts and of Surrey at that date. The last vestiges were removed by the creation of the local Boards of Works, 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 Cou ...

and finally 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 ...

Metropolitan Borough of Southwark The Metropolitan Borough of Southwark (''Br'' �sʌðɨk was a metropolitan borough in the County of London from 1900 to 1965. It was created to cover the western section of the ancient borough of Southwark and the parish of Newington. In common ...

in 1900.) #The remainder of the metropolis should be divided into districts for municipal purposes. The boundaries of the districts should correspond with the seven metropolitan parliamentary boroughs: Finsbury,

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 ...

, Lambeth,

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it me ...

, Southwark,

Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough covering much of the traditional East End. It was formed in 1965 from the merger of the former metropolitan boroughs of Stepney, Poplar, and Bethnal Green. 'Tower Hamlets' was originally ...

and

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

. The districts would be governed by a "municipal body". (Not implemented in respect of the City's Parliamentary representation until it was merged by

Representation of the People Act Representation of the People Act is a stock short title used in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Mauritius, Pakistan, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, ...

1948 and the City merged into the Westminster constituency. The other provisions had no effect on the City.) #A Metropolitan Board of Works should be established consisting of a number of members deputed from the "municipal bodies" and the Common Council. (Never implemented, the City did not participate in the arrangements but it did financially support and/or supplement these, e.g. Tower Bridge and major road works, in relation to improvements outside the City boundaries.) #The coal duties of the corporation of London should be transferred to the Metropolitan Board. (Effected in 1868.) #The Metropolitan Board should be empowered to levy a rate for public works of "general metropolitan utility". (The Corporation contributed without representation.) #No works should be performed by the Metropolitan Board without the sanction of the Privy council.''The corporation of the city of London'', The Times, 12 May 1854 (No effect on the Corporation's status.) The findings of the report led to the creation of the

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 ...

. The call to create municipal boroughs based on parliamentary representation was rejected. The City did not become part of the Metropolitan Board of Works arrangements but did support it financially. Not a single proposal was imposed on the Corporation and some minor suggestions were adopted by the City voluntarily and no legislation was enacted which effected any of the proposals which could have directly affected the City's interests.

References

Sources

Citations

{{Metropolitan Board of Works History of the City of London History of local government in London (pre-1855) London Government, City 1853 establishments in the United Kingdom