Editing Middlesex (section)

==Governance==
[[Image:Diocese of London Survey by John Harris 1714.jpg|thumb|264px|right|Middlesex as part of the Diocese of London in 1714. The diocese was based on the East Saxon kingdom, and was probably originally larger than shown here.]]
[[File:Map of Middlesex, drawn by Thomas Kitchin, geographer, 1769.jpg|thumbnail|Map of Middlesex, drawn by [[Thomas Kitchin]], geographer, engraver to the Duke of York, 1769]]
[[File:Gray1824 middlesex.jpg|thumb|Map of Middlesex, 1824. Note: west is at the top.]]

===Origin and toponymy===
The county has its roots in the settlement of the [[Middle Saxons]].<ref name="auto"/> The extent of the province is not clear, and probably varied over time, but it is clear that it occupied at least the area of the current county and much of [[Hertfordshire]]. Although the province appeared to have come under the dominion of, and is only ever recorded as a part of the [[Kingdom of the East Saxons]], charter evidence shows that it was not part of their core territory. However, it is probable the county was independent at some point.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stephenson |first=Carl |date=November 1944 |title=Anglo-Saxon England. By F. M. Stenton. [The Oxford History of England, edited by G. N. Clark.] Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1943. Pp. vii, 748. $7.50. |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-economic-history/article/abs/anglosaxon-england-by-f-m-stenton-the-oxford-history-of-england-edited-by-g-n-clark-oxford-the-clarendon-press-1943-pp-vii-748-750/2043C67699F9853C35D136AF5EC803DD |journal=The Journal of Economic History |language=en |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=216–217 |doi=10.1017/S0022050700081407 |issn=1471-6372}}</ref>

At times, Essex was ruled jointly by co-Kings, and it is thought that the Middle Saxon province is likely to have been the domain of one of these co-kings.<ref>Kings and Kingdoms of early Anglo-Saxon England, Chapter 3, Barbara Yorke, 1990, Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-16639-X}}</ref> This link to Essex endured through the [[Diocese of London]], re-established in 604 as the East Saxon see, and its boundaries continued to be based on the [[Kingdom of Essex]] until the nineteenth century.

The name means ''territory of the [[middle Saxons]]''. The word is formed from the [[Old English]], 'middel' and '[[Seax]]e'<ref name=mills>{{Harvnb|Mills|2001|p=151}}</ref> ('Saxons') ({{abbreviation|cf.|compare}} [[Essex#History|Essex]], [[Sussex#Toponymy|Sussex]] and [[Wessex]]). In 704, it is recorded as ''Middleseaxon'' in an Anglo-Saxon chronicle, written in Latin, about land at Twickenham. The Latin text reads: "''in prouincia quæ nuncupatur Middelseaxan Haec''".<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=de Gray Birch |editor1-first=Walther |title=Cartularium Saxonicum: A Collection of Charters Relating to Anglo-Saxon History (Cambridge Library Collection – Medieval History) (Volume 1 |date=24 May 2012 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1108045070 |pages=163 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ysgq2XUV_KgC&q=%27in+prouincia+qu%C3%A6+nuncupatur+Middelseaxan+Haec&pg=PA163 |access-date=30 November 2018}}</ref>

The [[Saxon]]s derived their name, ''Seaxe'' in their own tongue, from the ''[[seax]]'', a kind of knife for which they were known. The seax appears in the heraldry of the English counties of [[Essex]] and Middlesex, each of which bears three seaxes in their ceremonial emblem, or rather the Tudor heralds' idea of what a seax looked like, portrayed in each case like a [[falchion]] or [[scimitar]]. The names 'Middlesex', 'Essex', '[[Sussex]]' and '[[Wessex]]', contain the name 'Seaxe'.

===Early county government===
{{Further|List of places in Middlesex}}
{{Further|History of local government districts in Middlesex}}

It is not known exactly when Middlesex was established as a county, possibly the early tenth century,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rippon|first1=Stephen|title=Kingdom, Civitas and County|date=2018 |orig-year=2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-875937-9|pages=320–321}} p8</ref> but it is clear that it did not cover the whole of the former [[Middle Saxons|Middle Saxon Province]] of Essex. It was recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 as being divided into the six [[hundred (country subdivision)|hundreds]] of [[Edmonton (hundred)|Edmonton]], [[Elthorne (hundred)|Elthorne]], [[Gore (hundred)|Gore]], Hounslow ([[Isleworth (hundred)|Isleworth]] in all later records),<ref name=isleworth>{{cite web |url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22269 |title=The hundred of Isleworth |publisher = A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3 |year=1962 |access-date=20 February 2008 }}</ref> [[Ossulstone]] and [[Spelthorne (hundred)|Spelthorne]]. The [[City of London]] has been self-governing since the thirteenth century and became a county in its own right, a [[county corporate]].{{NoteTag|The City of London continues to be a county distinct from Greater London.}} Middlesex also included [[City and Liberty of Westminster|Westminster]], which was separate from the City of London. [[Westminster Abbey]] dominated the area of Westminster, until the [[Dissolution of the monasteries|Dissolution of the Monasteries]] greatly reduced its influence. A [[Westminster Court of Burgesses|Court of Burgesses]] was established, in 1585, to fill the power vacuum left behind by the Abbey.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Background - Westminster - London Lives |url=https://www.londonlives.org/static/WestminsterLocalGovernment.jsp |access-date=2 May 2022 |website=www.londonlives.org}}</ref><ref name="rural_old">{{cite web |title=The Proceedings of the Old Bailey |url=http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/history/london-life/rural-middlesex.html |access-date=20 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026152503/http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/history/london-life/rural-middlesex.html |archive-date=26 October 2007}}</ref>

Of the six hundreds, Ossulstone contained the districts closest to the City of London. During the 17th century it was divided into four divisions, which, along with the [[Liberty of Westminster]], largely took over the administrative functions of the hundred. The divisions were named [[Finsbury division|Finsbury]], [[Holborn division|Holborn]], [[Kensington division|Kensington]] and [[Tower division|Tower]].<ref name=ossulstone>{{cite vob |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10031163 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224083334/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10031163 |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 December 2012 |name=Ossulstone hundred |accessdate=20 February 2008 }} {{Cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10031163 |title=Ossulstone Hundred : Relationships and change |access-date=20 February 2008 |archive-date=24 December 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121224083334/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10031163 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The county had [[Parliamentary representation from Middlesex|parliamentary representation]] from the 13th century.

Middlesex outside the metropolitan area remained largely rural until the middle of the 19th century and so the special boards of local government for various metropolitan areas were late in developing. Other than the Cities of London and Westminster, there were no ancient [[borough]]s.<ref name=sessions>London Metropolitan Archives – [http://217.154.230.218/NR/rdonlyres/EAC40083-0CF8-491A-909E-19E4165F9B7B/0/infono25.pdf A Brief Guide to the Middlesex Sessions Records] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704190912/http://217.154.230.218/NR/rdonlyres/EAC40083-0CF8-491A-909E-19E4165F9B7B/0/infono25.pdf |date=4 July 2011 }}, (2009). Retrieved 26 July 2009.</ref> The importance of the hundred courts declined, and such local administration as there was divided between "county business" conducted by the [[justice of the peace|justices of the peace]] meeting in [[quarter sessions]], and the local matters dealt with by parish vestries. As the suburbs of London spread into the area, unplanned development and outbreaks of [[cholera]] forced the creation of [[local board of health|local boards]] and [[poor law union]]s to help govern most areas; in a few cases parishes appointed [[improvement commissioners]].<ref>{{harvnb|Robbins|2003|pp=199–205}}</ref> In rural areas, parishes began to be grouped for different administrative purposes. From 1875 these local bodies were designated as urban or rural sanitary districts.<ref>Royston Lambert, ''Central and Local Relations in Mid-Victorian England: The Local Government Act Office, 1858–71'', ''Victorian Studies'', Vol. 6, No. 2. (Dec. 1962), pp. 121–150.</ref>

===Tower Division===
The [[Tower division|Tower division, better known as the Tower Hamlets]], was an area in the Southeast of the county covering what is now the [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets]] as well as most of what is now the [[London Borough of Hackney]]. The territory had its origin in the medieval [[Stepney#Manor and Ancient Parish|Manor of Stepney]].

The area was unusual in combining [[Hundred (county subdivision)|Hundred]] and many County responsibilities, to form a "county within a county" comparable to one of the [[Ridings of Yorkshire]]. Of particular note was its military autonomy: it had its own [[Lord-Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets]] and was thus independent of the [[Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex]].

===Metropolitan challenges===
[[File:Map_of_Middlesex.jpg|thumb|right|County of Middlesex ({{small|{{Circa|1891–1895}}}})]]
{{Further|Population of Middlesex (1801–1881)}}
By the 19th century, the [[East End of London]] had expanded to the eastern boundary with Essex, and the [[Tower division]], an area which approximated to the East End, had reached a population of over a million.<ref name=vic_pop/> When the railways were built, the north western suburbs of London steadily spread over large parts of the county.<ref name=wolmar/> The areas closest to London were served by the [[Metropolitan Police]] from 1829, and from 1840 the entire county was included in the [[Metropolitan Police District]].<ref name=met>Order in Council enlarging the Metropolitan Police District (SI 1840 5001)</ref>

Local government in the county was unaffected by the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]], and civic works continued to be the responsibility of the individual parish vestries or ''ad hoc'' [[improvement commissioners]].<ref>''Local Government Areas 1834 -1945'', V D Lipman, Oxford, 1949</ref><ref>[[Joseph Fletcher (statistician)|Joseph Fletcher]], ''The Metropolis; its Boundaries, Extent, and Divisions for Local Government'' in ''Journal of the Statistical Society of London'', Vol. 7, No. 2. (June 1844), pp. 103–143.</ref> From 1855, the parishes of the densely populated area in the south east, but excluding the City of London, came within the responsibility of the [[Metropolitan Board of Works]] for certain infrastructure purposes, though the area remained a part of Middlesex.<ref name=saint/> Despite this innovation, the system was described by commentators at the time as one "in chaos".<ref name=barlow/>

===1889 - Administrative County of London===
In 1889, under the [[Local Government Act 1888]], the metropolitan area of approximately {{convert|30000|acre|km2}} became part of the administrative [[County of London]].<ref name=eb1911/> The Act also provided that the part of Middlesex in the administrative county of London should be "severed from Middlesex, and form a separate county for all non-administrative purposes".
[[File:Middlesex 1851 and 1911.png|200px|thumb|Map showing boundaries of Middlesex in 1851 and 1911, aside from minor realignments. The small yellow area in the North is Monken Hadley, which was [[List of Hertfordshire boundary changes|transferred to Hertfordshire]]; the larger yellow area in the Southeast was transferred to the newly created County of London in 1889.]]
[[File:1882 Reynolds Map.jpg|thumb|Map in 1882 shows complete urbanisation of the East End]]
The part of the County of London that had been transferred from Middlesex was divided in 1900 into 18 [[Metropolitan boroughs of the County of London|metropolitan borough]]s:<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.middlesex-heraldry.org.uk/publications/seaxe/SeaxeOS06-198501.pdf | work=The Seaxe | title=Civic Heraldry in Middlesex | issue=6 | date=January 1985 | page=4 | publisher=Middlesex Heraldry Society | access-date=18 July 2019 }}</ref>
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green|Bethnal Green]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea|Chelsea]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury|Finsbury]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Fulham|Fulham]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Hackney|Hackney]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith|Hammersmith]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead|Hampstead]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Holborn|Holborn]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Islington|Islington]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Kensington|Kensington]] (Royal Borough)
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Paddington|Paddington]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Poplar|Poplar]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch|Shoreditch]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone|St Marylebone]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras|St Pancras]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Stepney|Stepney]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington|Stoke Newington]]
* [[Metropolitan Borough of Westminster|Westminster]] (City)

===1889 - Middlesex County Council===
Following the Local Government Act 1888, the remaining county came under the control of [[Middlesex County Council]] except for the parish of [[Monken Hadley]], which became part of [[Hertfordshire]].<ref name=hadley>{{cite vob|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10020530&c_id=10001043|name=Monken Hadley|accessdate=20 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001000231/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10020530|archive-date=1 October 2007}} {{Cite web |url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp;jsessionid=D1C662A8A716903791E545A2366549A0?u_id=10020530 |title=Monken Hadley AP/CP through time &#124; Census tables with data for the Parish-level Unit |access-date=12 May 2023 |archive-date=5 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605061055/https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp;jsessionid=D1C662A8A716903791E545A2366549A0?u_id=10020530 |url-status=live}}</ref> The area of responsibility of the [[Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex]] was reduced accordingly. Middlesex did not contain any [[county borough]]s, so the county and [[administrative county]] (the area of county council control) were identical. At this time, Middlesex regained the right to appoint its own sheriff, lost in the 12th century.<ref name=vch_middlesex/><ref>{{harvnb|Robbins|2003|p=189}}</ref>

The [[Local Government Act 1894]] divided the administrative county into four [[rural district]]s and thirty-one [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban districts]], based on existing [[sanitary district]]s. One urban district, [[South Hornsey]], was an [[exclave]] of Middlesex within the [[County of London]] until 1900, when it was transferred to the latter county.<ref name=youngs>Frederic Youngs, ''Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England'', Vol.I : Southern England, London, 1979</ref> The rural districts were [[Hendon Rural District|Hendon]], [[Potters Bar Urban District|South Mimms]], [[Staines Rural District|Staines]] and [[Uxbridge Rural District|Uxbridge]]. Because of increasing urbanisation these had all been abolished by 1934.<ref name=vision_mx>{{cite vob |name=Middlesex |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10061441 |accessdate=20 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315025055/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10061441 |archive-date=15 March 2008 }} {{Cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10061441 |title=Middlesex AdmC through time &#124; Administrative history of Administrative County: Hierarchies, boundaries |access-date=20 February 2008 |archive-date=1 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201154636/http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10061441 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 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:<ref name=census_1961>{{cite vob | name=Census 1961: Middlesex | population=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/census/table_page.jsp?tab_id=EW1961COU_M3&u_id=10061441&show=&min_c=1&max_c=5as | accessdate=20 February 2008}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|<ol>
<li>[[Potters Bar Urban District|Potters Bar]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Enfield|Enfield]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Southgate|Southgate]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Edmonton|Edmonton]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Tottenham|Tottenham]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Wood Green|Wood Green]]</li>
<li>[[Friern Barnet Urban District|Friern Barnet]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Hornsey|Hornsey]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Finchley|Finchley]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Hendon|Hendon]]</li>
<li>[[London Borough of Harrow|Harrow]]</li>
<li>[[Ruislip-Northwood Urban District|Ruislip-Northwood]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Uxbridge|Uxbridge]]</li>
</ol>
| [[File:Middlesex.svg|361px]]<br>Middlesex urban districts in 1961
| <ol start=14>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Ealing|Ealing]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Wembley|Wembley]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Willesden|Willesden]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Acton|Acton]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Brentford and Chiswick|Brentford and Chiswick]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Heston and Isleworth|Heston and Isleworth]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Southall|Southall]]</li>
<li>[[Hayes and Harlington Urban District|Hayes and Harlington]]</li>
<li>[[Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District|Yiewsley and West Drayton]]</li>
<li>[[Staines Urban District|Staines]]</li>
<li>[[Feltham Urban District|Feltham]]</li>
<li>[[Municipal Borough of Twickenham|Twickenham]]</li>
<li>[[Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District|Sunbury-on-Thames]]</li>
</ol>
|}

After 1889, the growth of London continued, and the county became almost entirely filled by suburbs of London, with a big rise in population density. This process was accelerated by the [[Metro-land]] developments, which covered a large part of the county.<ref>Royston, J., ''Revisiting the Metro-Land Route'', Harrow Times. Retrieved 20 February 2008.</ref> The expanding urbanisation had, however, been foretold in 1771 by [[Tobias Smollett]] in ''[[The Expedition of Humphry Clinker]]'', in which it is said:

{{Blockquote|Pimlico and Knightsbridge are almost joined to Chelsea and Kensington, and, if this infatuation continues for half a century, then, I suppose, the whole county of Middlesex will be covered in brick.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y7k_AQAAMAAJ&q=tobias+smollett+middlesex&pg=PA93|title=The Miscellaneous Works Of Tobias Smollett|access-date=30 January 2015|last1=Smollett|first1=Tobias George|last2=Anderson|first2=Robert|year=1806}}</ref>}}

Public transport in the county, including the extensive network of trams,<ref name=reed>Reed, J., ''London Tramways'', (1997)</ref> buses and the London Underground came under control of the [[London Passenger Transport Board]] in 1933<ref name=lpt>Office of Public Sector Information – ''[https://archive.today/20121223195009/http://www.uk-legislation.hmso.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1933/cukpga_19330014_en_1 London Passenger Transport Act 1933 (as amended)]''. Retrieved 20 February 2008.</ref> and a [[New Works Programme]] was developed to further enhance services during the 1930s.<ref name=wolmar/> Partly because of its proximity to the capital, the county had a major role during the Second World War. The county was subject to [[The Blitz|aerial bombardment]] and contained military establishments, such as [[RAF Uxbridge]] and [[Heston Aerodrome|RAF Heston]], which were involved in the [[Battle of Britain]].<ref name=battle>Royal Air Force – [http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/september28.html Battle of Britain Campaign Diary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216223244/http://www.raf.mod.uk/bob1940/september28.html |date=16 February 2008 }}. Retrieved 20 February 2008.</ref>

===County town===
[[File:middlesex.guildhall.london.arp.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|The [[Middlesex Guildhall]] at [[Westminster]], which now houses the [[Supreme Court of the United Kingdom]]]]

Middlesex arguably never, and certainly not since 1789, had a single, established [[county town]]. The [[City of London]] could be regarded as its county town for most purposes<ref name="LSE London"/> and provided different locations for the various, mostly judicial, county purposes. The [[assizes|county assizes]] for Middlesex were held at the [[Old Bailey]] in the City of London.<ref name=rural_old/> Until 1889, the [[High Sheriff of Middlesex]] was chosen by the [[City of London Corporation]]. The [[sessions house]] for the Middlesex Quarter Sessions was [[Hicks Hall]] in [[Clerkenwell]] (just outside the City boundary) from 1612 to 1782, and [[Middlesex Sessions House]] on [[Clerkenwell Green]] from 1782 to 1921. The quarter sessions performed most of the limited administration on a county level prior to the creation of the Middlesex County Council in 1889. 

[[New Brentford]] was first promulgated as the county town in 1789, on the basis that it was where elections of [[knight of the shire|knights of the shire]] (or [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]]) were held from 1701.<ref name=eb1911>Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911 Edition</ref><ref name=ealing_brentford>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22575&strquery=ealing%20growth |title=Ealing and Brentford: Growth of Brentford |publisher = A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 7 |year=1982 |access-date=20 February 2008}}</ref> Thus a traveller's and historian's London regional summary of 1795 states that (New) Brentford was "considered as the county-town; but there is no town-hall or other public building".<ref name=environ_brentford>{{cite web |url = http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45404&strquery=brentford |title=Brentford |publisher=The Environs of London: volume 2: County of Middlesex |year=1795 |access-date=20 February 2008 }}</ref> Middlesex County Council took over at the Guildhall in [[Westminster]], which became the [[Middlesex Guildhall]]. In the same year, this location was placed into the new [[County of London]], and was thus outside the council's area of jurisdiction.

===Creation of Greater London===
The population of inner London (then the [[County of London]]) declined after its creation in 1889 as more residents moved into the outer suburbs. In the [[Interwar Britain|interwar years]], suburban London expanded further, with improvement and expansion of public transport,<ref name="wolmar"/> and the setting up of [[Second Industrial Revolution|new industries]].

After the [[Second World War]], from 1951 to 1961, the populations of the administrative county of London<ref name=lcc_pop>{{cite vob |population=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10041790&c_id=10001043&add=N |name=County of London |accessdate=20 February 2008 }}</ref> and of inner Middlesex were in steady decline, with population growth continuing in the outer parts of Middlesex.<ref name=census_1961/><ref name=mdx_pop>{{cite vob |population=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10061441&c_id=10001043&add=N |name=Middlesex |accessdate=20 February 2008 }}</ref> According to the 1961 census, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Hendon, Heston & Isleworth, Tottenham, Wembley, Willesden and Twickenham had each reached a population greater than 100,000, which would normally have entitled each of them to seek [[county borough]] status. If this status were to be granted to all those boroughs, it would mean that the population of the administrative county of Middlesex would be reduced by over half, to just under one million.

Evidence submitted to the [[Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London]] included a recommendation to divide Middlesex into two administrative counties of North Middlesex and West Middlesex.<ref name="LSE London"/> However, the commission instead proposed abolition of the county and merging of the boroughs and districts. This was enacted by Parliament as the [[London Government Act 1963]], which came into force on 1 April 1965.

The Act abolished the administrative counties of Middlesex and London.<ref>[[London Government Act 1963]], '''Section 3:''' ''(1) As from 1 April 1965—''<br />
''(a) no part of Greater London shall form part of any administrative county, county district or parish;''<br />
''(b) the following administrative areas and their councils (and, in the case of a borough, the municipal corporation thereof) shall cease to exist, that is to say, the counties of London and Middlesex, the metropolitan boroughs, and any existing county borough, county district or parish the area of which falls wholly within Greater London;''<br /> The new enlarged administration became known as the [[Greater London Council]] or its acronym, the GLC.

The former separate (joint) fire and ambulance service of Middlesex, the second largest in Britain after London was largely absorbed into enlarged London organisations under the newly formed GLC, the exception being those areas moving into Surrey and Hertfordshire.
''(c) the urban district of Potters Bar shall become part of the county of Hertfordshire;''<br />
''(d) the urban districts of Staines and Sunbury-on-Thames shall become part of the county of Surrey.''<br />
'''Section 89:''' ''(1) In this Act, except where the context otherwise requires, the following expressions have the following meanings respectively, that is to say—''
<br />
'' 'county' means an administrative county;''</ref> The [[Administration of Justice Act 1964]] abolished the Middlesex magistracy and [[Lord-lieutenant|lieutenancy]], and altered the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court.

====New London boroughs from former London CC area====
Eighteen of London County Council Metropolitan Boroughs were part of the ancient county of Middlesex. In 1965 these merged to form seven of the twelve current boroughs of [[Inner London]]:

* [[London Borough of Camden|Camden]] was formed from the metropolitan boroughs of [[Metropolitan Borough of Hampstead|Hampstead]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Holborn|Holborn]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of St Pancras|St Pancras]].
* [[London Borough of Hackney|Hackney]] was formed from the metropolitan boroughs of [[Metropolitan Borough of Hackney|Hackney]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch|Shoreditch]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington|Stoke Newington]].
* [[London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham|Hammersmith]] (known as Hammersmith and Fulham from 1979) was formed from the metropolitan boroughs of [[Metropolitan Borough of Hammersmith|Hammersmith]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Fulham|Fulham]].
* [[London Borough of Islington|Islington]] was formed from the metropolitan boroughs of [[Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury|Finsbury]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Islington|Islington]].
* [[Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea|Kensington and Chelsea]] was formed from the metropolitan boroughs of [[Metropolitan Borough of Chelsea|Chelsea]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Kensington|Kensington]].
* [[London Borough of Tower Hamlets|Tower Hamlets]] was formed from the metropolitan boroughs of [[Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green|Bethnal Green]], [[Metropolitan Borough of Poplar|Poplar]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Stepney|Stepney]].
* The [[City of Westminster]] was formed from the metropolitan boroughs of [[Metropolitan Borough of Paddington|Paddington]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of St Marylebone|St Marylebone]] and the City of [[Metropolitan Borough of Westminster|Westminster]].<ref name=saint/>

====New London boroughs from former Middlesex CC area====
In April 1965, nearly all of the area of the historic county of Middlesex became part of [[Greater London]], under the control of the [[Greater London Council]], and formed the new [[outer London]] boroughs of [[London Borough of Barnet|Barnet]] (part only), [[London Borough of Brent|Brent]], [[London Borough of Ealing|Ealing]], [[London Borough of Enfield|Enfield]], [[London Borough of Haringey|Haringey]], [[London Borough of Harrow|Harrow]], [[London Borough of Hillingdon|Hillingdon]], [[London Borough of Hounslow|Hounslow]] and [[London Borough of Richmond upon Thames|Richmond upon Thames]] (part only).<ref name=schedule>Office of Public Sector Information – [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1963/cukpga_19630033_en_1 London Government Act 1963 (as amended)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100817142118/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1963/cukpga_19630033_en_1 |date=17 August 2010 }}. Retrieved 20 February 2008.</ref>

====Areas transferred to Surrey and Hertfordshire County Councils====
The remaining areas were [[Potters Bar Urban District]], which became part of the administrative county of [[Hertfordshire]], and [[Sunbury-on-Thames Urban District]] and [[Staines Urban District]], which became part of the administrative county of [[Surrey]].<ref name=vision_mx/> Following the changes, local acts of Parliament relating to Middlesex were henceforth to apply to the entirety of the nine "North West London Boroughs".<ref name=local_law>The Local Law (North West London Boroughs) Order 1965 (S.I. 1965 No. 533)</ref> 

In 1974, the three [[Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland)|urban districts]] that had been transferred to Hertfordshire and Surrey were abolished and became the districts of [[Hertsmere]] (part only) and [[Borough of Spelthorne|Spelthorne]] respectively.<ref name="autogenerated1">The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972 (SI 1972/2038)</ref> In 1995 the village of [[Poyle]] was transferred from Spelthorne to the [[Berkshire]] borough of [[Slough]].<ref name=poyle>Office of Public Sector Information – [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1994/Uksi_19940330_en_1.htm Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey (County Boundaries) Order 1994] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202095925/http://opsi.gov.uk/SI/si1994/Uksi_19940330_en_1.htm |date=2 February 2009 }}. Retrieved 20 February 2008.</ref> Additionally, the Greater London boundary to the west and north has been subject to several [[List of Greater London boundary changes|small changes]] since 1965.<ref>Office of Public Sector Information – [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1993/Uksi_19931342_en_1.htm The Heathrow Airport (County and London Borough Boundaries) Order 1993]. Retrieved 23 February 2008.</ref><ref>Office of Public Sector Information – [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1993/Uksi_19931391_en_1.htm The Greater London and Surrey (County and London Borough Boundaries) (No. 4) Order 1993]. Retrieved 23 February 2008.</ref>

====Judicial areas====
On its creation in 1965, Greater London was divided into five Commission Areas for justice. The one named "Middlesex" consisted of the boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Enfield, Haringey, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow.<ref name=justice_act>Administration of Justice Act 1964 (1964 C. 42)</ref> It was abolished on 1 July 2003.<ref name=commission_2003>Office of Public Sector Information – [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2003/20030640.htm ''The Commission Areas (Greater London) Order 2003'' (Statutory Instrument 2003 No. 640)]. Retrieved 20 February 2008.</ref>