Of great value for West Ham is the following book, edited and compiled by Donald McDougall:
Fifty Years a Borough, 1886-1936: The Story of West Ham
Chapter 14 consists of a complete list of Aldermen and Councillors during those 50 years, with their years of service. Unfortunately, the ward(s) they represented aren’t mentioned.
We also learn from the book the following information:
Before the Charter of Incorporation was granted to West Ham in 1886, affairs were governed by a Local Board of Health for 30 years. At Incorporation, there were 36 councillors, nine elected from each of four wards:
Ward No. 1 or Stratford ward
Ward No. 2 or Forest Gate ward
Ward No. 3 or Plaistow ward
Ward No. 4 or Canning Town ward
The first West Ham councillors were elected on 1 November 1886; the Council’s first meeting took place on 9 November when the first Mayor and Aldermen were elected. In a photograph of the first Borough Council – scan attached below – there are 27 councillors and 10 Aldermen, although I reckon there ought to be a total of 9 Aldermen. Presumably, given the discrepancy from 36 councillors stated earlier, most of the Aldermen pictured had initially been elected as councillors, and the vacancies caused had not yet been filled, or some councillors were absent for the photo.
As the population of the borough on 1 June 1888 was over 50,000, it became a County Borough on 1 April 1889.
Early in 1898 the Council presented a Petition to Queen Victoria for an alteration in the number and boundaries of the wards of the borough. On 18 July 1898 the Privy Council directed that the number of wards be 12, and a barrister was appointed to determine their boundaries and for apportioning existing councillors to them. The wards were:
Ward No. 1 or New Town ward
Ward No. 2 or Forest Gate ward
Ward No. 3 or High Street ward
Ward No. 4 or Broadway ward
Ward No. 5 or Park ward
Ward No. 6 or Upton ward
Ward No. 7 or West Ham ward
Ward No. 8 or Plaistow ward
Ward No. 9 or Hudsons ward
Ward No. 10 or Canning Town ward
Ward No. 11 or Tidal Basin ward
Ward No. 12 or Custom House and Silvertown ward
In 1921 a Bill was promoted in Parliament to increase the representation on the Council to 64 (16 Aldermen and 48 Councillors elected from 16 wards. This came into force on 1 November 1922. The wards were:
New Town, Forest Gate, High Street, Broadway, Park, Upton, Plashet Road, West Ham, Plaistow, Bemersyde, Canning Town and Grange, Hudsons, Ordnance, Beckton Road, Tidal Basin, Custom House and Silvertown
A scanned photograph of the Council, taken on 28 April 1936, is also attached to this post. Note that all four of West Ham's councillors are Aldermen and present in the photograph.
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