Editing West Ham (section)

==Administrative history==
===Local government – ancient parish===
West Ham formed a large ancient parish of around {{convert|4500|acre|km2}} in the [[Becontree (hundred)|Becontree]] hundred of [[Essex]]. The parish was made up of three wards: Church-street, [[Stratford, London|Stratford-Langthorne]], and [[Plaistow, Newham|Plaistow]]. The parish also included the hamlet of [[Upton Park, London|Upton]].

[[File:West Ham CP Ward Map 1867.svg|thumb|left|The wards of West Ham Civil Parish in 1867.]]

===Initial administrative response to urbanisation===
In 1840 the parish was included in the Metropolitan Police District soon after the built-up area of London had encompassed much of West Ham.

It had become apparent that local government in the parish of West Ham was not adequate to meet the needs of the area which was divided between the parish vestry, [[highway district|highway board]] and the Havering and Dagenham Commissioners of Sewers. Problems centred on provision of adequate paving, water supply, fire fighting and control of development. In 1853 a group of ratepayers initiated moves to improve local administration. This led to a public enquiry by [[Charles Dickens]]' brother Alfred, a medical officer, who published a report in 1855 severely critical of conditions in the slum areas.<ref name=charter/>

Accordingly, the [[Public Health Act 1848]] ([[11 & 12 Vict.]] c. 63) was applied to the parish, and a [[local board of health]] was formed in 1856. The board had 15 members: 12 elected and 3 nominated by the Commissioners of Sewers.<ref name="vch">{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42758 |title=West Ham – Local government and public services |access-date=2008-06-22 |editor=W R Powell  |year=1973 |work=A History of the County of Essex, Vol.6 }}</ref>

West Ham was included in the [[London postal district]], established in 1857, but not in the statutory metropolitan area established in 1855 or the County of London established in 1889. Instead, administrative reform was undertaken in the area in much the same way as a large provincial town. A local board was formed in 1856 under the [[Public Health Act 1848]] ([[11 & 12 Vict.]] c. 63).

In November 1878 the inhabitants of the parish decided to petition the [[privy council]] for a [[royal charter|charter]], incorporating the town as a [[municipal borough]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=24651 |date=29 November 1878 |page=6695 }}</ref>
This was in reaction to proposals to enlarge the area governed by the [[Metropolitan Board of Works]] to include adjoining districts with a population of 50,000 or more: the primary aim of incorporation was to prevent the inclusion of West Ham in an enlarged London municipality.<ref name=charter/> This initial application was unsuccessful. However, encouraged by the 1883 incorporation of [[County Borough of Croydon|Croydon]], a second petition was submitted in May 1885.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=25472 |date=22 May 1885 |page=2366 }}</ref> Following an inquiry in October 1885, a scheme for the creation of the borough and dissolution of the board of health was made in June and the charter was granted in July 1886.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=25596 |date=11 June 1886 |pages=2797–2798  }}</ref><ref name=incorp>{{cite news |title=The Incorporation Of West Ham |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=23 June 1886 |page=6 }}</ref>  A corporation consisting of a [[mayor]], 12 [[alderman|aldermen]] and 36 councillors replaced the board, with the first elections held on 1 November.<ref name=charter/> The first mayor was John Meeson, head of a local lime burning and cement making firm, and a former chairman of West Ham Local Board.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newhamstory.com/node/1090 |title=John Meeson, first Mayor of West Ham, 1886-7 |work=The Newham Story |publisher=Newham Council |access-date=3 November 2009 }}</ref>

===Local government – County Borough===
{{Main|County Borough of West Ham}}
In 1889 the borough was large enough in terms of population to become a county borough and was outside the area of responsibility of Essex County Council – though still formally within the county. At the time of the 1901 census it was the ninth most populous district in England with a population of 267,308.[4] 
From 1934 to 1965 it was surrounded by the County Borough of East Ham to the east, the municipal boroughs of Wanstead and Woodford and Leyton to the north, and the metropolitan boroughs of Poplar to the west with the [[Thames]] to the south with Greenwich on the far side.
[[File:HE1080991 Old Town Hall Stratford (1).jpg|thumb|[[Stratford Town Hall|West Ham's former Town Hall]], on Stratford Broadway.]]
[[File:West ham essex 1961.png|300px|thumb|West Ham in Essex, 1961]]

===Coat of arms===
The coat of arms was granted by the [[College of Arms]] on 14 January 1887. The chevrons on the lower portion represent Stratford, taken from the device of [[Stratford Langthorne Abbey]]. At the top right, there are crossed hammers which are also shown as the centrepiece of [[West Ham United]]'s badge, representing the [[Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company]] – the borough's main employer. The ship is representative of the [[Royal Docks]], and the area's long association with the sea.  The Latin motto "''Deo Confidimus''" at the base translates as "''In God We Trust''."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.newhamstory.com/node/1795 | title=The Newham story, Coat of Arms (3) – West Ham | publisher=Newham London | access-date=5 March 2013}}</ref>

[[File:West Ham arms.png|thumb|150px|The coat of arms of the County Borough of West Ham]]

===Formation of Newham and inclusion in Greater London===
The omission of West Ham from the London-administered [[Metropolis Management Act 1855|metropolitan area]], which took in nearby places such as [[Greenwich]] and [[Woolwich]], was first commented on in 1855 and West Ham Council later considered the case for inclusion in the [[County of London]] in 1895 and 1907.<ref name=brit_west>''[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42705 Local administration and public services: Administrative bodies]'', A History of the County of Essex: Volume 5 (1966), pp. 32–37. Date accessed: 7 December 2007.</ref> The reluctance to proceed with amalgamation was largely explained by lack of perceived support, fear of financial disadvantage caused by increased rates, the detrimental effect of London planning laws on industry, and the desire to retain the independent civic institutions and privileges attached to county borough status.<ref name=brit_west/>

The [[Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London]] reviewed the local government arrangements of the ''Greater London Conurbation'' and in 1965, under the terms of the [[London Government Act 1963]], the county borough, and the [[County Borough of East Ham]], were abolished and their former area was amalgamated with small parts of [[Municipal Borough of Barking|Barking]] and [[Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich|Woolwich]] to form the [[London Borough of Newham]] in [[Greater London]].