Editing Dartmouth, Devon (section)

==Governance==
The town was an ancient [[borough]], incorporated by [[Edward III of England|Edward III]], known formally as '''Clifton-Dartmouth-Hardness''', and consisting of the three parishes of ''St Petrox'', ''St Saviour'' and ''[[Townstal]]'', and incorporating the hamlets of Ford, Old Mill and Norton.<ref>[http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Dartmouth/Dartmouth1830.html ''Pigot & Co.'s Devonshire'' (1830)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304200443/http://genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/Dartmouth/Dartmouth1830.html |date=4 March 2016 }} GenUKi</ref> It was reformed under the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1835]]. The town returned two members of parliament from the 13th century until 1835, after which one [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) was elected until the town was disenfranchised in 1868. It remained a [[municipal borough]] until 1974, when it was merged into the [[South Hams]] district, and became a [[successor parish]] of Dartmouth with a town council.<ref>''The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972'' (S.I. 1972 No. 2039)</ref><ref>''The Local Government (Successor Parishes) Order 1973'' (S.I. 1973 No. 1110)</ref>

Dartmouth Town Council is the lowest of three tiers of local government. It consists of 16 councillors representing the two [[ward (politics)|wards]] of Clifton and Townstal.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.visionwebsites.co.uk/Contents/Text/Index.asp?SiteId=304&SiteExtra=7188892&TopNavId=662&NavSideId=5318| title = ''Dartmouth Town Councillors'', Dartmouth Town Council. Retrieved 21 March 2008}}</ref> At the second tier, Dartmouth forms part of the Dartmouth and Kingswear ward of [[South Hams]] District Council, which returns three councillors.<ref>{{cite web|title=Election of District Councillors for Dartmouth and Kingswer |url=http://www.southhams.gov.uk/20110408_dis_notice_of_poll_-_dartmouth_and_kingswear.pdf |publisher=South Hams District Council |access-date=15 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928051444/http://www.southhams.gov.uk/20110408_dis_notice_of_poll_-_dartmouth_and_kingswear.pdf |archive-date=28 September 2011 }}</ref> At the upper tier of local government Dartmouth and Kingswear Electoral Division elects one member to Devon County Council.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www4.devon.gov.uk/dris/elections2005/choose.php?pa=show&division=36 |title=''Division 36: Dartmouth and Kingswear'', Devon County Council. Retrieved 21 March 2008 |access-date=21 March 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050508122232/http://www4.devon.gov.uk/dris/elections2005/choose.php?pa=show&division=36 |archive-date=8 May 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref>