Municipal Borough of Leyton facts for kids

Leyton
Motto: MINISTRANDO DIGNITAS (Dignity in service)
Leyton Town Hall
Leyton within Essex in 1961
Geography
Status	Local government district (1873–1894) Urban district (1894–1926) Municipal borough (1926–1965)
1901 area	2,594 acres (10.5 km2)
1931 area	2,594 acres (10.5 km2)
1961 area	2,595 acres (10.5 km2)
HQ	High Road, Leyton
History
Origin	Leyton St Mary ancient parish
Created	1873
Abolished	1965
Succeeded by	London Borough of Waltham Forest
Quick facts for kids Demography
1901 population - 1901 density	98,912 38.1/acre
1931 population - 1931 density	128,313 49.5/acre
1961 population - 1961 density	93,959 36.2/acre
Politics
Governance	Leyton Local Board (1873–1894) Leyton Urban District Council (1894–1926) Leyton Borough Council (1926–1965)
Leyton's coat of arms outside Leytonstone Library
Subdivisions
Type	Civil parishes
Units	Leyton (1873–1965) Wanstead (part) (1883–1894) Cann Hall (1894–1965)

Leyton was a special area in southwest Essex, England, that had its own local government from 1873 to 1965. It included the areas of Leyton, Leytonstone, and Cann Hall. Leyton was like a suburb of London, meaning it was close to the big city. It was part of the London postal district and the area covered by the Metropolitan Police District. Today, Leyton is the southernmost part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest in Greater London.

How Leyton Was Governed

Early Days of Leyton

Leyton, also known as Leyton St Mary or Low Leyton, was a very old parish. A parish is like a local area, often linked to a church. It was located in the Becontree hundred of Essex. A "hundred" was an old way of dividing land.

The parish of Leyton was originally about 2,271 acres (919 hectares). It had a part that was separate from the main area. This part was north of the main parish. There was also a long, narrow piece of land from Walthamstow that split Leyton. To the south, a part of Wanstead parish, called the Wanstead Slip, reached the River Lea marshes. This slip separated Leyton from West Ham.

For a long time, the local rules and decisions in Leyton were made by the lords of the manor. These were powerful landowners. They held special meetings called "courts baron" from the medieval period until the 1840s. At these courts, they chose local officers. These officers included constables (like police officers), haywards (who looked after fences), and ale tasters (who checked beer quality). They also decided who was responsible for keeping roads and bridges in good condition. They even made sure things like animal pounds (for stray animals) and lock ups (small jails) were maintained.

The Vestry's Role

From the 1600s, a group called the parish vestry started to take more control of local government in Leyton. The vestry was a meeting of local church members and important residents. They were especially in charge of the Poor Laws, which helped people who were struggling. They also collected local rates, which were like taxes.

At first, the vestry only met once a year, usually at Easter. But as Leyton grew, they needed to meet more often. By 1759, they were meeting every month! While the main Easter meeting was in the church's vestry room, other meetings happened in pubs or coffee houses. The people on the committee even got money for entertainment. The Vicar (a church leader) of Leyton usually led these meetings.

The parish also hired a parish beadle (a church officer) from 1718. By 1721, they had two overseers of the poor. One was for Leyton and one for Leytonstone. These overseers helped manage aid for the poor. Leyton parish also set up eight alms houses (homes for poor people) and built a work house in 1742. A workhouse was a place where poor people could live and work. This workhouse closed in 1836 when Leyton joined the West Ham Poor Law Union. This Union built a new workhouse in Leyton from 1839 to 1841. This building later became Langthorne Hospital. A hospital for the workhouse, built at Whipps Cross in 1900-03, later became Whipps Cross Hospital.

Leyton had two constables, one for Leyton and one for Leytonstone. They were chosen by the vestry from 1733. There were also whipping posts and stocks (old forms of punishment). Leyton also had a watch house and a "cage" or lock-up for holding people. Leytonstone had similar facilities. In 1840, the Leyton parish became part of the Metropolitan Police District, which meant it was covered by London's police force.

Becoming an Urban District

As more houses and railways were built, Leyton grew into a suburb of London. The local leaders had resisted forming a "local board of health" for a while. But in 1873, they finally agreed. They adopted the Public Health Act 1872. This created a local government district for Leyton and the Walthamstow Slip.

In 1875, the district grew to include part of Wanstead parish to the south, known as Wanstead Slip or Cann Hall. The board first met in the church's vestry room. But in 1882, they built new public offices on Leyton High Road because they needed more space.

In 1894, Leyton officially became an urban district under the Local Government Act 1894. This law meant that parishes could not be split between different districts. So, the part of Wanstead that was in Leyton's district became a new parish called Cann Hall.

At first, the district had four wards (like local voting areas). In 1903, it was reorganized into nine wards, and then ten in 1920. A grand town hall was built for the urban district in 1895-96. It was right next to the 1882 offices, which had become too small and were turned into a public library.

The urban district council also made big improvements to the area. One important project was the Leyton Urban District Council Tramways. These were tram services that were controlled by the local government. They stayed under local control until 1933, when the London Passenger Transport Board took over.

Becoming a Municipal Borough

After a formal request in 1920, the urban district of Leyton became a municipal borough in 1926. A municipal borough is a type of town or city that has its own local government with more powers. Each of the ten wards in Leyton was represented by one alderman and three councillors. The first mayor of the new borough was James Benjamin Slade, who was later given the title of knight in 1927.

Leyton's Coat of Arms

The coat of arms for the municipal borough was officially given on November 27, 1926. A coat of arms is a special design that represents a family, city, or organization. Leyton's arms had a gold background with three red V-shapes (called "chevronels"). Above them, on a red band, was a gold lion walking.

The crest (the part above the shield) showed a lion standing on its hind legs. Half of the lion was gold, and the other half was black. This lion was holding a gold Crozier (a staff shaped like a shepherd's crook, often used by bishops).

The Latin language motto for Leyton was "MINISTRANDO DIGNITAS". This means "dignity in service." Parts of the coat of arms remembered important families who owned land in Leyton during the Middle Ages. It also honored the nearby Stratford Langthorne Abbey, which had owned land in Leyton before the Dissolution of the Monasteries (when monasteries were closed down). The lion and the cross-staff from Leyton's crest are still part of the coat of arms for the London Borough of Waltham Forest today. This new coat of arms was created on January 1, 1965.

The End of Leyton as a Borough

In 1965, the municipal borough of Leyton was officially ended by the London Government Act 1963. Its area was moved from Essex to Greater London. Leyton's area was combined with the areas of the Municipal Borough of Chingford and the Municipal Borough of Walthamstow. Together, these three areas formed the London Borough of Waltham Forest that we know today. The very last Mayor of Leyton was Terence Charles Messenger.

Images for kids

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  Leyton Town Hall

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  Leyton within Essex in 1961

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  Leyton's coat of arms outside Leytonstone Library