Editing London Borough of Merton (section)

==History==
The area of the modern borough broadly corresponds to the four [[ancient parish]]es of [[Merton, London (parish)|Merton]], [[Mitcham]], [[Morden]], and [[Wimbledon, London|Wimbledon]], all of which were historically in the county of [[Surrey]].

The parish of Wimbledon was made a [[Local board of health#Local Government Act 1858|local government district]] in 1866. Such districts were converted into [[Urban district (England and Wales)|urban districts]] under the [[Local Government Act 1894]]. The Wimbledon Urban District was subsequently incorporated to become the [[municipal borough]] of [[Municipal Borough of Wimbledon|Wimbledon]] in 1905.<ref>{{cite book |title=Kelly's Directory of Surrey |date=1913 |page=461 |url=https://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/86113/rec/3 |access-date=24 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Wimbledon Urban District / Municipal Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10173073 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=24 May 2024}}</ref>

Merton was made an urban district in 1907, which was enlarged in 1913 to take in neighbouring Morden, becoming the [[Merton and Morden Urban District]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Merton and Morden Urban District |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10152975 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=24 May 2024}}</ref> Mitcham was made an urban district in 1915, which was incorporated to become the municipal borough of [[Municipal Borough of Mitcham|Mitcham]] in 1934.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mitcham Urban District / Municipal Borough |url=https://visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10001249 |website=A Vision of Britain through Time |publisher=GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth |access-date=24 May 2024}}</ref>

The modern borough was created in 1965 under the [[London Government Act 1963]], covering the combined area of the former boroughs of Mitcham and Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District. The area was transferred from Surrey to Greater London to become one of the 32 London Boroughs.<ref>{{cite book | first=Frederic |last=Youngs | title=Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England | volume=I: Southern England | year=1979 | publisher=[[Royal Historical Society]] | location=London | isbn=0-901050-67-9}}</ref>

The name Merton for the borough was chosen as a compromise, following a dispute between Wimbledon and Mitcham over the new borough's name.