# History of local government districts in Middlesex

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The History of local government districts in Middlesex outside the metropolitan area began in 1835 with the formation of poor law unions. This was followed by the creation of various forms of local government body to administer the rapidly growing towns of the area. By 1934 until its abolition in 1965, the entire county was divided into urban districts or municipal boroughs.

## Poor law unions

The parishes of the county were grouped under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 to form unions. Each union had a single workhouse, and was administered by a board of guardians elected by the parish ratepayers. The boundaries of the unions would later be used to define rural sanitary districts in 1875 and rural districts in 1894. Poor law unions were abolished in 1930 by the Local Government Act 1929.
| Name | Parishes | Notes |
| Barnet PLU | Friern Barnet, Finchey, Monken Hadley, South Mimms | Remainder of PLU in Hertfordshire |
| Brentford PLU | Acton, Chiswick, Ealing, Greenford, Hanwell, Heston, Isleworth, New Brentford, Old Brentford, Perivale, Twickenham, West Twyford | |
| Edmonton PLU | Edmonton, Enfield, Hornsey, Southgate, Tottenham, Wood Green | Included the parish of Hampstead (in the Metropolis) until 1848, Waltham Holy Cross in Essex and Cheshunt in Hertfordshire |
| Hendon PLU | Edgware, Great Stanmore, Harrow on the Hill, Harrow Weald, Hendon, Kingsbury, Little Stanmore, Pinner, Wealdstone, Wembley, Willesden (until 1896) | |
| Kingston PLU | Hampton, Hampton Wick, Teddington | Majority of PLU in Surrey |
| Staines PLU | Ashford, Cranford, East Bedfont, Feltham, Hanworth, Harlington, Harmondsworth, Laleham, Littleton, Shepperton, Staines, Stanwell, Sunbury | |
| Uxbridge PLU | Cowley, Harefield, Hayes, Hillingdon, Ickenham, Northolt, Northwood, Ruislip, Uxbridge, West Drayton, Yiewsley | |
| Willesden Poor Law Parish | Willesden | Formed 1896 |

## Local boards of health

An outbreak of cholera in Tottenham forced the creation of a temporary local board of health in 1831/32. Following the enactment of the Public Health Act 1848 (11 & 12 Vict. c. 63), permanent boards could be formed on petition of the inhabitants or where there was excess mortality. The first local board in England formed under the Act was at Uxbridge in 1849, and it was followed by a number of other towns. The Local Government Act 1858 simplified the process of creating local councils: ratepayers of a parish or area could adopt the Act by resolution, whereupon it would become a Local Government District, governed by a Local Board. Numerous localities in Middlesex took the opportunity, and it also provided the mechanism for the developing communities of Southgate and Wood Green to separate themselves from the control of the Edmonton and Tottenham boards.

## Sanitary districts

The system was rationalised by the Public Health Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c. 55), which designated all municipal boroughs, local board districts, local government districts and improvement commissioners districts in England and Wales as urban sanitary districts. The existing local authority became an urban sanitary authority, without change of title. Also created were rural sanitary districts, which were identical in area to poor law unions, less any urban sanitary district. The poor law guardians for the parishes in the district became the rural sanitary authority.

## List of districts 1848–1894
### Local boards and urban sanitary districts 1848–1894

Local board districts (LBDs) were created by the Public Health Act 1848 (11 & 12 Vict. c. 63) and governed by a local board of health; local government districts (LGDs) were created by the Local Government Act 1858 and governed by a local board. Chiswick was an improvement commissioners district (ICD) created by local act of Parliament.
| Name | Formed | Area covered |
| Acton LGD | 1865 | Parish of Acton |
| Chiswick ICD | 1858 | Parish of Chiswick |
| Ealing LGD | 1863 | Parish of Ealing less chapelry of Old Brentford |
| Edmonton LBD | 1850 | Originally covered entire parish of Edmonton. In 1881 the Southgate area formed a separate LGD. The boundary with Enfield LBD was adjusted in 1883. |
| Enfield LBD | 1850 | Most of the parish of Enfield, part of Edmonton parish from 1883. |
| Hampton LGD | 1890 | Parish of Hampton |
| Hampton Wick LGD | 1863 | Hamlet of Hampton Wick (part of Hampton parish) Constituted separate parish in 1866. |
| Harrow LBD | 1850 | Part of the parish of Harrow-on-the Hill (Harrow on the Hill, Roxeth, and parts of Greenhill and Sudbury) |
| Hornsey LGD | 1867 | The part of the parish of Hornsey not included in South Hornsey LGD. Gained part of Friern Barnet parish in 1883. |
| South Hornsey LGD | 1863 | Part of the parish of Hornsey (Brownswood Park) |
| Teddington LGD | 1867 | Parish of Teddington |
| Tottenham LBD | 1850 | Parish of Tottenham: Wood Green area became a separate LGD in 1888. |
| Twickenham LGD | 1868 | Parish of Twickenham |
| Uxbridge LBD | 1849 | Hamlet (later parish) of Uxbridge and western part of parish of Hillingdon. |
| Friern Barnet LGD | 1883 | Most of parish of Friern Barnet |
| Brentford LGD | 1874 | Chapelries of Old Brentford (Ealing parish) and New Brentford (Hanwell parish) |
| Finchley LGD | 1878 | Parish of Finchley |
| Hanwell LGD | 1885 | Parish of Hanwell |
| Hendon LGD | 1879 | Parish of Hendon |
| Heston and Isleworth LGD | 1875 | Parishes of Heston and Isleworth |
| Norwood LGD | 1891 | Parish of Norwood |
| Southgate LGD | 1881 | Southgate area of Edmonton parish. |
| Staines LGD | 1872 | Parish of Staines |
| Willesden LGD | 1874 | Parish of Willesden |
| Wood Green LGD | 1888 | Wood Green area of Tottenham parish. |
| East Barnet Valley LGD | 1863 | Part of Monken Hadley parish Remainder of LGD in Hertfordshire. |
| Barnet LGD | 1863 | Part of Monken Hadley parish Remainder of LGD in Hertfordshire. |

### Rural sanitary districts 1875–1894

| Name | Notes | Area covered |
| Barnet RSD | Mostly in Hertfordshire | Parishes of Finchley (until 1878), Friern Barnet (until 1883), South Mimms. Became South Mimms Rural District in 1894. |
| Brentford RSD | | Parishes of Greenford, Hanwell (until 1885), Perivale, West Twyford. Became Greenford UD in 1894. |
| Edgware RSD | Renamed Hendon RSD 1877 | Parishes of Edgware, Great Stanmore, Kingsbury, Little Stanmore and Pinner; and part of the parish of Harrow on the Hill (Harrow Weald, Wealdstone and Wembley areas). Became Hendon RD, Wealdstone UD, Wembley UD in 1894. |
| Kingston RSD | Mostly in Surrey | Parish of Hampton (until 1890). No Middlesex parishes after 1890. |
| Staines RSD | | Parishes of Ashford, Cranford, East Bedfont, Feltham, Hanworth, Harlington, Harmondsworth, Laleham, Littleton, Shepperton, Stanwell and Sunbury. Became Staines RD, Sunbury on Thames UD 1894. |
| Uxbridge RSD | | Parishes of Cowley, Harefield, Hayes, Ickenham, Northolt, Northwood (until 1891), Ruislip and West Drayton and part of Hillingdon parish. Became Uxbridge RD in 1894. |

## County districts 1894–1965

The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) divided the administrative county into four rural districts and thirty-one urban districts, based on existing sanitary districts. One urban district, South Hornsey was a detached part of Middlesex within the County of London until 1900, when it was transferred to the latter county. The rural districts were Hendon, South Mimms, Staines and Uxbridge. Because of increasing urbanisation these had all been abolished by 1934. Urban districts had been created, merged, and many had gained the status of municipal borough by 1965. The districts as at the 1961 census were:
| Municipal history 1894–1965 | Borough incorporation | District/borough in 1965 | Population 1951 | Population 1961 | 1965 fate |
| Acton UD formed 1894 | 1921 | Acton MB | 67,471 | 65,586 | LB Ealing |
| Brentford UD, Chiswick UD formed 1894, amalgamated as Brentford and Chiswick UD 1927 | 1932 | Brentford and Chiswick MB | 59,367 | 54,833 | LB Hounslow |
| Ealing UD created 1894, absorbed Greenford UD, Hanwell UD 1926 | 1901 | Ealing MB | 187,323 | 183,077 | LB Ealing |
| Edmonton UD created 1894 | 1937 | Edmonton MB | 104,270 | 91,956 | LB Enfield |
| Enfield UD created 1894 | 1955 | Enfield MB | 110,465 | 109,542 | LB Enfield |
| Feltham UD created 1904 from Staines RD, absorbed East Bedfont, Hanworth on abolition of Staines RD 1934 | n/a | Feltham UD | 44,861 | 51,047 | LB Hounslow |
| Finchley UD created 1894 | 1933 | Finchley MB | 69,991 | 69,370 | LB Barnet |
| Friern Barnet UD created 1894 | n/a | Friern Barnet UD | 29,163 | 28,813 | LB Barnet |
| Harrow on the Hill UD created 1894, Harrow UD formed 1934 from Harrow on the Hill UD part of abolished Wealdstone UD, Harrow Weald, Pinner, Little Stanmore, Great Stanmore from abolished Hendon RD | 1954 | Harrow MB | 219,494 | 209,080 | LB Harrow (boundaries unchanged) |
| Hayes UD created 1904 from part of Uxbridge RD, Hayes and Harlington UD created 1930 by merger of Hayes UD and Cranford and Harlington from abolished Staines RD | n/a | Hayes and Harlington UD | 65,596 | 67,915 | LB Hillingdon |
| Hendon UD created 1894, absorbed Edgware from Hendon RD 1931 | 1932 | Hendon MB | 155,857 | 151,843 | LB Barnet |
| Heston and Isleworth UD created 1894 | 1932 | Heston and Isleworth MB | 106,847 | 103,013 | LB Hounslow |
| Hornsey UD created 1894 | 1903 | Hornsey MB | 98,159 | 97,962 | LB Haringey |
| South Mimms RD created 1894, became Potters Bar UD 1934 | n/a | Potters Bar UD | 17,172 | 23,376 | Hertfordshire |
| Created 1904 from part of Uxbridge RD | n/a | Ruislip-Northwood UD | 68,288 | 72,791 | LB Hillingdon |
| Southall Norwood UD created 1894, renamed Southall 1936 | 1936 | Southall MB | 55,896 | 52,983 | LB Ealing |
| Southgate UD created 1894 | 1933 | Southgate MB | 73,377 | 72,359 | LB Enfield |
| Created 1894, absorbed Ashford, Laleham and Stanwell from abolished Staines RD 1930 | n/a | Staines UD | 39,995 | 49,838 | Surrey |
| Created 1894, absorbed Littleton and Shepperton from abolished Staines RD 1930 | n/a | Sunbury-on-Thames UD | 23,394 | 33,437 | Surrey |
| Tottenham UD created 1894 | 1934 | Tottenham MB | 126,929 | 113,249 | LB Haringey |
| Twickenham UD created 1894, absorbed Hampton UD, Hampton Wick UD, Teddington UD 1937 | 1926 | Twickenham MB | 105,663 | 100,971 | LB Richmond |
| Uxbridge UD created 1894, absorbed Cowley, Harefield, Hillingdon East and Ickenham from abolished Uxbridge RD 1929 | 1955 | Uxbridge MB | 55,960 | 63,941 | LB Hillingdon |
| Wembley UD created 1894, absorbed Kingsbury UD, part of abolished Wealdstone UD 1934 | 1937 | Wembley MB | 131,384 | 124,892 | LB Brent |
| Willesden UD created 1894 | 1933 | Willesden MB | 179,697 | 171,001 | LB Brent |
| Wood Green UD created 1894 | 1933 | Wood Green MB | 52,228 | 47,945 | LB Haringey |
| Yiewsley UD created 1911 from part of Uxbridge RD, absorbed Harmondsworth, West Drayton from abolished Uxbridge RD to become Yiewsley and West Drayton UD 1929 | n/a | Yiewsley and West Drayton UD | 20,468 | 23,723 | LB Hillingdon |