52-613: Wisbech was a municipal borough in the Isle of Ely , Cambridgeshire in England from 1835 until 1974. The corporation met at the Wisbech Town Hall , North Brink. It operated the Port of Wisbech , Wisbech Market, the borough police and the weights and measures department. As early as 1836 the council opened its meetings to the press and public. A painting of Henry Leach (1798-1873) artist unknown,
104-528: A Grand Tour of Egypt to ease his broken heart after the death of his young wife. Some of the objects he brought back are now in the Wisbech & Fenland Museum . Bank House became too small for the banking business and a new bank building was built nearby on the Old Market, this later became one of the two Barclays Bank branches in the town, the branch closed in 2022. The ceremonial mace presented by Peckover to
156-602: A Quaker banking family and owners of the Peckover Bank, which later merged into Gurney, Peckover and Company , he started as a clerk in 1847 and worked his way up and became a partner in 1866 retiring in 1894. His sister Priscilla Hannah Peckover was a pacifist and linguist. Peckover was also an active peace campaigner, chairing annual meetings of the Wisbech Local Peace Association. In his retirement he devoted himself mainly to meteorological studies and
208-401: A charter of incorporation , constituting the area a municipal borough. The attempts to incorporate large industrial towns such as Birmingham , Bolton , Manchester and Sheffield by Whig and Radical "incorporationists" were bitterly contested by Tory "anti-incorporationists". The Tory objections to the legality of the charters led to them boycotting elections to the new boroughs until
260-453: A justice of the peace . The mayor was also required to serve as returning officer for parliamentary elections, except in those boroughs which were counties corporate , where the borough council appointed a sheriff whose duties included serving as returning officer. To fund their work the borough council was allowed to set and collect rates . Municipal boroughs were not automatically given powers to provide or maintain infrastructure under
312-465: A mayor , aldermen and councillors to oversee many local affairs. The legislation required all municipal corporations to be elected according to a standard franchise, based on property ownership. The Act reformed 178 boroughs with effect from 1 January 1836. At the same time, a procedure was established whereby the inhabitant householders of a town could petition the Crown via the privy council to grant
364-506: A child during their year of office. 1861 was one such occasion in Wisbech. PRESENTATION OF A SILVER CRADLE TO THE Mayoress of Wisbech. This interesting ceremony took place on Tuesday at the residence of the Mayor (Richard Young, Esq.) The cradle is in the form of a Nautilus shell, and is elegantly chased and embossed, the interior being of rich gilt. It is about ten inches in length, and is mounted, upon
416-412: A handful of cities the chief magistrate was granted the further dignity of lord mayor . The corporation was a body corporate with perpetual succession, and included all registered electors or "burgesses" of the borough. However, the actual administration was carried out by a town council, which was in effect a committee representative of the community at large. All those eligible to vote were entered in
468-451: A handsome massive silver mace, which was presented to the mayor on behalf of the town by Lord Peckover of Wisbech. His lordship, on his return home after his elevation to the peerage, had a very hearty reception by the mayor and corporation, the former giving a luncheon in his honour. To show his appreciation of the goodwill extended to him he had decided to present the town a silver mace. The mayor expressed his thanks personally and on behalf
520-503: A local authority in an unreformed state; the City undertook a major reform of its democratic structure in 2005. In 1873 the Association of Municipal Corporations was formed to represent the interests of the boroughs collectively; its membership included both county and non-county boroughs. The AMC was later to be a strong advocate for expanding county boroughs and unitary local government, and it
572-695: A massive ebony pillar, an ebony stand covered, with purple velvet, with a glass shade over the whole. On the top of the cradle are engraved the arms of; the borough; on one side is the following inscription' "Presented to the Mayoress of Wisbech by the members of the Corporation and private friends; to record the birth of a son during the third year of the Mayoralty of Richard Young , Esq., Mayor of Wisbech, 1861. Municipal elections were held on 1 November until following WWII , from 1949 borough elections were moved to May, as
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#1732883816238624-582: A result the traditional 9 November mayor-making moved to May. The Loake Cup was traditionally used to toast, with 'Bishop' , the incoming mayor. This ceased in 1868 when Alderman Wherry was elected mayor. He reinstated it the following year on his re-election. Thereafter it was used intermittently. ROLL OF FREEMEN Municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1836 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in
676-543: Is now a National Trust property, the estate is let to local sports clubs, Wisbech Rugby Union Club, Hockey and Cricket clubs. Nearby is Peckover Primary school. In 1864 Peckover's father Algernon founded the Wisbech Social Club and Institute; with the aim of providing the industrial classes an educational and recreational facility. In 1864 a group of gentleman banking friends including the Barclay brothers took Peckover on
728-681: Is now on display in the council chamber. Within a cabinet can be found much of the Civic Regalia of Wisbech, including the Loake Cup, and the Wisbech Town mace ; the symbol of office of the Town Beadle . The Town Mace is described as a very fine piece of plate, 45 inches long with, with six Y2 crown; designed from a mace of the time of William III . The head, has the arms of the Borough of Wisbech on top, and
780-513: Is surmounted by a large crown, and is decorated with the rose, thistle, harp, and fleur de lis. Between these, forming an alternate ornament, are conventionalised demi-figures with bases of leaves. The shaft is decorated with oak leaves and acorns, and the bases, of which there are three, with oak and acanthus leaves. The drawers of the cabinet hold the charters granted to Wisbech by Edward VI , James II and Charles II . They are very delicate and must be handled with care. The Wisbech Mayoral Chain
832-518: The Local Government Act 1888 . Boroughs were divided into two sorts, with some becoming county boroughs which were entirely self-governing and independent from county council administration. The non-county boroughs had more limited powers of self-government, and shared power with county councils. In 1894, towns which had not been incorporated as boroughs became urban districts with similar powers to municipal boroughs. The title of "borough"
884-670: The Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in Scotland from 1833 to 1975 with the reform of royal burghs and creation of police burghs . Boroughs had existed in England and Wales since medieval times. By the late Middle Ages they had come under royal control, with corporations established by royal charter . These corporations were not popularly elected: characteristically they were self-selecting oligarchies , were nominated by tradesmen's guilds or were under
936-434: The "burgess roll", which was compiled by the town clerk annually. The town council of each municipal borough consisted of a mayor, aldermen, and councillors. The councillors were directly elected by the burgesses for a three-year term, with one-third of their membership retiring each year. Boroughs with a population of more than 6,000 were divided into wards with separate elections held in each ward annually. One-quarter of
988-420: The 1835 Act had powers relating to electoral registration , providing a watch , making byelaws , and holding various civil and criminal courts. The types of courts which could be held depended on whether the borough had been given a separate commission of the peace or its own quarter sessions ; those which had their own quarter sessions were also required to appoint a coroner . The mayor was ex officio made
1040-543: The 1835 Act. Many boroughs were covered by separate bodies of improvement commissioners responsible for matters such as paving, lighting and cleaning streets, supplying water and providing sewers. These improvement commissioners continued to exist alongside the borough councils unless the commissioners chose to transfer their powers to the council. From 1848 onwards local boards could also be established for providing infrastructure and overseeing public health. Where local board districts were created covering municipal boroughs
1092-453: The 1840 Act in 1926, allowing urban districts to petition the Governor for a charter of incorporation. Accordingly, by 1972 the number of boroughs had increased to 12 in number. The system of local government was reorganised in 1973, with 26 local government districts replacing all county and municipal boroughs as well as urban and rural districts . The city or borough status conferred by
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#17328838162381144-475: The Alexandra Theatre, Wisbech in 1920. Peckover married Eliza Sharples, daughter of Joseph Sharples, a banker, of Hitchin , Hertfordshire , in 1858. They had three daughters Elizabeth Josephine, Alexandrina and Anna Jane. He is said to have declined the offer of a special remainder that would have allowed the title to descend through his eldest daughter to his grandson, stating that "if my grandson wants
1196-541: The English boroughs, and each borough was divided into wards with three, six or nine councillors per ward and one alderman for every three councillors. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 designated the six largest municipalities ( Belfast , Cork , Dublin , Limerick , Derry and Waterford ) as county boroughs. The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1919 introduced a system of proportional representation into municipal elections. Wards were replaced by electoral areas, and
1248-459: The abolished boroughs were inherited by one of the new local authorities. District councils were permitted to apply for a charter to receive borough status , while small municipal boroughs became successor parishes with town councils headed by a town mayor. In a few cases charter trustees , a special committee of district councillors, were formed to perpetuate the mayoralty of a town or city. The Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 followed
1300-404: The borough council was often, but not always, appointed to serve as the local board. In some places it was deemed necessary for the local board district to cover a larger or smaller territory than the borough, in which case a separate local board was elected. The overlapping functions of borough councils, improvement commissioners and local boards were gradually consolidated. Many boroughs took over
1352-479: The borough was elected for a one-year term, although he was eligible for re-election indefinitely. Under the original legislation the mayor was required to be a councillor or alderman. The Municipal Corporations Act 1882 empowered the council to elect any suitably qualified inhabitant of the borough as mayor. However, the mayoralty continued to be almost universally conferred on a senior alderman or councillor. Municipal elections were originally held on 1 November, with
1404-714: The collection of ancient manuscripts. He was a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society , the Society of Antiquaries and the Linnean Society of London and a member of the Hakluyt Society , Spalding Gentlemen's Society and the British Numismatic Society . In 1893, he was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire , a post he held until 1906. Peckover was the first commoner and nonconformist to hold
1456-399: The control of the lord of the manor . A Royal commission was appointed in 1833 to investigate the various borough corporations in England and Wales. In all 263 towns were found to have some form of corporation created by charter or in existence by prescription . The majority had self-elected common councils, whose members served for life. Where there was an election, the incumbent members of
1508-405: The corporation for the magnificent gift which had been placed before them. An inscription was to be added "Presented to the Mayor. James Yates, Esq., and the Corporation of the Borough of Wisbech by Baron Peckover of Wisbech in remembrance of the hearty welcome home given, him on 16th July, 1907." It was a custom in England to present a gift, often a cradle, to the mayor and mayoress on the birth of
1560-457: The corporation often effectively nominated the electorate. Eleven boroughs were manorial court leets . Following the report of the royal commission, legislation was introduced to reform borough corporations. The Municipal Corporations Act 1835 provided for a reformed form of town government, designated a municipal borough. The Act introduced a uniform system of town government in municipal boroughs, with an elected town council , consisting of
1612-524: The council was to confer the freedom of the borough on D Company, 6 Royal Anglian Regiment. In 1974 the borough was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 . It merged with other local councils to become part of the Fenland district on 1 April 1974. Its successor in the town was Wisbech Town Council . Granted 1929 these were transferred to the Town Council ;: Officially described as: This
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1664-403: The council were aldermen , who were elected by the council for a six-year term. Half of the aldermen were elected every third year at the council's annual meeting. It was originally envisaged that the council would choose persons from outside of the municipal body. In practice, however, the aldermanic benches were almost exclusively filled by the promotion of long-serving councillors. The mayor of
1716-550: The enactment of the Borough Charters Confirmation Act 1842 . A number of further acts of parliament amended the 1835 legislation. All of these were repealed and replaced by the Municipal Corporations Act 1882 . The 1882 Act and the consolidating Local Government Act 1933 provided the statutory basis for municipal boroughs up to their abolition. An important change in the 1933 legislation removed
1768-477: The entire council was to be elected triennially. Separate elections of aldermen and councillors were ended, with all members of the council elected by popular vote. One-quarter of the elected members were entitled to the title of "alderman", which was used to designate the first candidates elected in each area. The remaining successful candidates being "councillors". Under the Government of Ireland Act 1920 , Ireland
1820-592: The example of the legislation in England and Wales. Unlike the 1835 Act, the Irish Act abolished nearly all of the country's boroughs, reforming just 10. Inhabitants of the larger of the abolished boroughs or of any town with a population of 3,000 could petition the crown for incorporation under the Act. In the event, only one additional borough was created when Wexford received a charter of incorporation in 1846. The corporation and town council were identical in their constitution to
1872-681: The functions of commissioners or separate local boards under the Public Health Act 1872, which established urban sanitary districts , with borough councils usually being designated as the urban sanitary authority. There were a handful of exceptions where commissioners and local boards continued to operate alongside borough councils until the Local Government Act 1888 required the remaining anomalies to be addressed; from 1889 all borough councils were sanitary authorities with powers to provide infrastructure and oversee public health. In 1889, county councils were created across England and Wales under
1924-645: The mayoral election and filling of aldermanic vacancies on 9 November. Elections were cancelled during the First and Second World Wars , and the November 1948 elections were postponed until May 1949. From that date, municipal elections were held on the second Thursday of May. In view of the forthcoming local government reorganisation, the 1972 elections were rescheduled to 4 May, with no elections in 1973 and all sitting councillors and aldermen holding their seats until midnight on 31 March 1974. The municipal boroughs created under
1976-545: The municipal charters passed to the new district councils. Nine boroughs (four county boroughs and five municipal boroughs) were within the territory of the Irish Free State in 1922. Two new boroughs were created by statute. In 1930, the borough of Dún Laoghaire was created by the amalgamation of the four urban districts of Blackrock , Dalkey , Kingstown , and Killiney and Ballybrack in County Dublin . This borough
2028-555: The office have the subsequent dates added to their existing link). Other significant links include the Coronation of King George VI and Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II . The regalia of the Wisbech Corporation had hitherto been of a very limited character, consisting only of the mayor's gold chain, to which successive mayors had added their links, and a loving cup, which was presented to the corporation in 1701. Now had been added
2080-481: The office of Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire. As a Quaker he was allowed to wear court dress instead of a military uniform and was not required to participate in military functions. The following year he was raised to the peerage as Baron Peckover , of Wisbech in the County of Cambridge. In 1905 Cambridge University awarded him the honorary degree of LL.D. After his death part of the estates were sold off by auction at
2132-514: The powers of a parish council . Seven small boroughs in Cornwall, Devon and Shropshire underwent this process. The remaining municipal boroughs, of which there were over 200, were abolished on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 . In England, they were replaced by metropolitan or non-metropolitan districts and in Wales by districts . In most cases, the civic privileges and coat of arms of
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2184-556: The right to petition for incorporation from inhabitant householders. In future, petitions could only be made by existing urban or rural district councils. The boroughs unreformed by the Act were not immediately abolished. Several of them subsequently sought new charters as municipal boroughs; those that did not were finally abolished in 1887 by the Municipal Corporations Act 1886. Only the City of London Corporation survived as
2236-519: The title he must earn it". Eliza died in August 1862, only a year after the birth of her youngest child. Lord Peckover remained a widower until his death in October 1919, aged 89. His title died with him. His daughter Elizabeth married the artist J. Doyle Penrose , they had four sons : Alexander Peckover, Lionel Sharples , Roland Algernon and Bernard Edmund. Bank House (now Peckover House and Garden )
2288-474: The use of a common seal. This seal is now on the reverse of the chain, and the gold and enamel pendant on the front was presented by Alderman A. W. Collett, Mayor of Wisbech, in 1935 to commemorate the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 , and the Silver Jubilee of King George V . The chain's links record mayors from 1834 onwards. A link is named for each successive mayor (those previously holding
2340-544: Was partitioned in 1921, between Northern Ireland , which would remain in the United Kingdom, and the remainder, which left the United Kingdom in 1922 as the Irish Free State . On establishment, Northern Ireland contained the county boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry, with no municipal boroughs. The Parliament of Northern Ireland abolished proportional representation in local government elections in 1922, and amended
2392-553: Was June Bond in 1973-4. At the 1871 census Wisbech (Municipal Borough Limits) consisted of 6,432acres, 2,162 houses, and 9,362 persons. A long, narrow tail of land was detached and given to Wisbech Rural District . In 1933 the south-western part of Wisbech MB was transferred to the parish of Elm leaving Wisbech RD surrounding the Borough on three sides. It formed part of the administrative county of Isle of Ely from its creation until 1965, when this merged to form part of Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely . The last official duty of
2444-417: Was an English Quaker banker, philanthropist and collector of ancient manuscripts. Peckover was born at Wisbech , Cambridgeshire , the son of Algernon Peckover, of Bank House , Wisbech, by Priscilla Alexander, daughter of Dykes Alexander , a Quaker banker, of Ipswich , Suffolk . Priscilla Hannah Peckover was his sister. He was educated at Grove House School , Tottenham , London. The Peckovers were
2496-618: Was at the annual conference of the AMC in 1965 that Richard Crossman called for a reform of all local government. This speech eventually led to the Redcliffe-Maud Report recommending large unitary councils for all England. Each municipal borough possessed a corporation uniformly designated as the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the town. The only exception was where the borough enjoyed city status ; in this case "burgesses" became "citizens". In
2548-499: Was considered to be more dignified than "urban district", and so many larger urban districts petitioned to be granted the status of a municipal borough, and many were granted this right. Borough status did not substantially increase local government powers, although municipal boroughs above a certain size had the right to run primary education . Under the Local Government Act 1958 , small municipal boroughs could be absorbed by surrounding rural districts to become rural boroughs , with
2600-415: Was first worn in 1883. Made by the silversmiths Solomon Blanckensee & Sons of Birmingham it was purchased by subscription. Initially, it consisted of a central link and twenty other links, with the front pendant being the common seal adopted on the incorporation of the town in 1549. That charter made Wisbech a corporate borough for the first time, and gave the burgesses the right of perpetual succession and
2652-490: Was later abolished in 1994. In 1937 the town of Galway was reconstituted as a municipal borough. It became a county borough in 1986. The Local Government Act 2001 abolished municipal boroughs. County boroughs were replaced by statutory "cities", while the title of "borough" was retained for the other towns holding the status. Alexander Peckover, 1st Baron Peckover Alexander Peckover, 1st Baron Peckover LL FRGS , FSA , FLS (16 August 1830 – 21 October 1919),
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#17328838162382704-434: Was presented to the Wisbech Corporation by his family. He was the last bailiff, and first Mayor of Wisbech following the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 . He was also mayor in 1839 and 1847. The Leach printing company printed many significant publications through the years, and were last based on Nene Quay. The picture is on display in the council chamber. Local shipping owner Richard Young was mayor five times. The last mayor
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