Editing History of England (section)

===Local governance===
{{further|History of local government in England}}
[[File:Microcosm of London Plate 009 - Billingsgate Market (tone).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Billingsgate Fish Market]] in London in the early 19th century]]
[[File:Louise Rayner Chester Eastgate Street.jpg|thumb|[[Chester]], {{circa| 1880}}]]
The [[Local Government Act 1888]] was the first systematic attempt to impose a standardised system of local government in England. The system was based on the existing counties (today known as the [[Historic counties of England|historic counties]], since the major boundary changes of 1974). Later, the [[Local Government Act 1894]] created a second tier of local government. All administrative counties and county boroughs were divided into either rural or urban districts, allowing more localised administration.

During the 1800s, the need for local administration greatly increased, prompting piecemeal adjustments. The sanitary districts and parish councils had legal status, but were not part of the mechanism of government. They were run by volunteers; often no-one could be held responsible for the failure to undertake the required duties. Furthermore, the increased "county business" could not be handled by the [[quarter sessions]], nor was this appropriate. Finally, there was a desire to see local administration performed by elected officials, as in the reformed municipal boroughs. By 1888, these shortcomings were clear, and the [[Local Government Act 1888|Local Government Act]] was the first systematic attempt to create a standardised system of local government in England.

The system was based on the existing counties (now known as the [[Historic counties of England|historic counties]], since the major boundary changes of 1974). The counties themselves had had some boundary changes in the preceding 50 years, mainly to remove enclaves and exclaves. The act called for the creation of statutory counties, based on the ancient/historic counties, but completely corrected for enclaves and exclaves, and adjusted so that each settlement was completely within one county. These statutory counties were to be used for non-administrative functions: ''"[[high sheriff|sheriff]], [[Lord-lieutenant|lieutenant]], [[custos rotulorum]], justices, militia, coroner, or other"''. With the advent of elected councils, the offices of lord lieutenant and sheriff became largely ceremonial.

The statutory counties formed the basis for the so-called 'administrative counties'. However, it was felt that large cities and primarily rural areas in the same county could not be well administered by the same body. Thus, 59 "counties in themselves", or 'county boroughs', were created to administer the urban centres of England. These were part of the statutory counties, but not part of the administrative counties.

[[Local Government Act 1894|In 1894, the Local Government Act]] created a second tier of local government. Henceforth, all administrative counties and county boroughs would be divided into either rural or urban districts, allowing more localised administration. The municipal boroughs reformed after 1835 were brought into this system as special cases of urban districts. The urban and rural districts were based on, and incorporated the [[sanitary district]]s which created in 1875 (with adjustments, so that districts did not overlap two counties).

The Act also provided for the establishment of [[civil parish]]es. The 1894 Act formed an official system of civil parishes, separated from the ecclesiastical parishes, to carry on some of these responsibilities (others being transferred to the district/county councils). However, the civil parishes were not a complete third tier of local government. Instead, they were 'community councils' for smaller, rural settlements, which did not have a local government district to themselves. Where urban parish councils had previously existed, they were absorbed into the new urban districts.