Local Government
Kingston received its Charter of Incorporation in 1481 although the charters before that, back to 1208, indicate a significant level of local freedom in the conduct of the town's affairs. There were no significant long-term changes in the structure of local government until the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835 which was passed to meet the needs of a growing population. The system established in 1835 has evolved into that in existence today.
A "Closed" Corporation
Until 1835 Kingston was an 'undemocratic' "closed" corporation of 57 freemen, elected from among the 273 free tenants of the manor at Kingston which was a royal manor. Less than 3% of its 8,000 inhabitants at the beginning of the 19th Century could become members of the Court of Assembly which ran the Town, and only existing members of that ruling body could vote for new members. It is significant that Alexander Raphael, a prominent local Catholic, became a Kingston Bailiff in 1831-2, not long after Catholic Emancipation.
See Religion and Kingston's Past.
The main duties of the Corporation were to manage the property it owned and deal with financial affairs. Rents were collected from Corporation lands and the money was used to keep Corporation property in good order. It managed trusts including those for the upkeep of the bridge and the Grammar School, and educational and other charities and bequests including the Tiffin and Almshouse charities. See KB1/6, pages 14 & 15 for examples of Court of Assembly business in 1835.
The Court of Assembly consisted of two Bailiffs, who led the Corporation, a High Steward, a Recorder (a lawyer and a judge at the Court of Record), 15 'Headbroughs' who were involved in policing the Town, the 'Peers' (members who had previously acted as 'Headboroughs) and the 'Masters' or Gownsmen who were ex-Bailiffs.
The Court of Assembly appointed the Town Clerk for life and elected other officials such as schoolwardens, bridgewardens and chamberlains (treasurers). It also enforced restrictive trading practices, granting permissions to trade (called 'tolerations') and serving notices on those who were trading illegally. See also Trade and Employment.
For a temporary period between 1685 to 1688, in an attempt to influence boroughs in his favour, James II altered Kingston's constitution by charter. A Mayor Aldermen, Burgesses and a Common Council of sixteen replaced the Bailiffs. They and other officials were named in the charter. This new constitution only survived until 1688 when James fled the country in the 'Glorious Revolution'. Please see documents below:
List of officers,1688 (document reference KB12/1/103) .pdf
Transcript of document reference KB12/1/103
Court of Assembly Minutes: business in 1835 (document reference KB1/6 page 14) pdf
Court of Assembly Minutes, 1835 continued (document reference KB1/6 page 15).pdf
Transcript of document reference KB1/6 pages 14 & 15
Illegal Elections
By the time of the Civil War Kingston was very much allied to the Presbyterian cause and a group of Cromwellian supporters sought to gain control of the Corporation by ilegally debarring their Royalist opponents and installing their own supporters instead. Evidence of this was gathered after the Restoration of the Monarchy and papers survive in the Borough archives. Please see documents below:
Record of Illegal elections during the Civil War (document reference KB16/7/10).pdf
Transcript of document reference KB16/7/10
"Open" Elections?
In 1835 the Municipal Corporations Act established Kingston's first "openly" elected ruling body. The Borough was divided into three wards, each of which elected six councillors to the new Town Council. The councillors chose six aldermen and together they voted for a Mayor who led the Corporation. All adult males who paid the poor rates had the vote and were eligible for the Town Council. In practice this was still a relatively small number of people and franchise in local and national elections did not become universal for all men and women over twenty-one until 1928.
More Responsibilities
After 1836 Kingston's Town Council had to deal with the problems brought about by a rapidly increasing population, in particular health, including sewage disposal, epidemics like cholera and the provision of clean water. The Kingston upon Thames Improvement Act of 1855 reflects these concerns and an Improvement Committee was set up to oversee improvements to the quality of life. Many other committees followed dealing with ever increasing responsibilities from public health to education, libraries and museums, highways and housing. For examples see documents below:
Draft report of the Highway Committee relating to road repairs, 1855 (document reference KT13/6).pdf
Transcript of document reference KT13/6
Petition about disorderly behaviour in the 1830s (document reference KT18/12).pdf
Transcript of document KT18/12
Transcript of document reference KT18/15:
Public safety was also important. In 1835 the borough's policing arrangements were not adequate with only three constables and three watchmen. The 1835 Act compelled councils to set up Watch Committees and in 1836. Five additional paid constables were employed and the boundaries of the watch were extended to include Surbiton and Norbiton.Please see documents below:
Minutes of the Borough Council for 1837 (document reference KB1/6 page 37).pdf
Transcript of document KB1/6 page 37: minutes of the Borough Council in 1837
Notice announcing a highway rate, 1856 (document reference KT13/28)
As the19th Century progressed the committee system reflected the increasing responsibilities placed on local authorities as the size of the borough and its population exploded. Surbiton and Malden and Coombe once Urban Districts and then Boroughs from 1936, amalgamated with Kingston in 1965 to form an enlarged London Borough in Greater London.
The system in existence today is essentially a more sophisticated and complex version of that laid down under the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835. The increased scope of local government services went hand-in-hand with extended franchise and growth in the number of rate payers (Now Council Tax).