Town Commissioners

Town Commissioners were elected local government bodies established in urban areas in the island of Ireland in the nineteenth century. Larger towns with commissioners were converted to urban districts by the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898, with the smaller commissions continuing to exist beyond partition in 1922.

The last town commissioners in Northern Ireland were abolished in 1962, while in the Republic of Ireland the remaining commissions were renamed as town councils in 2002.

Town commissioners also exist in other jurisdictions, such as the Isle of Man, and parts of the United States.

Lighting of Towns Act, 1828

The first town commissioners were established by the Lighting of Towns (Ireland) Act, 1828 (9 Geo. IV c.82). This was "adoptive" legislation, which ratepayers in the various boroughs could choose to enact in their community. As the existing borough corporations were ineffective as local authorities the act came into force in sixty-five towns.

Municipal reform 1840

In 1840 the majority of Irish boroughs were abolished by the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840, and the commissioners established by the 1828 act became the only local authority. The town commissioners were recognised as successor to the borough, retaining corporate property and the municipal coat of arms. Any town with property of more than £100 that lost its borough corporation, but had not adopted the 1828 Act, was to establish "Municipal Commissioners". There was, in fact, only one town to which this applied: Carrickfergus in County Antrim.

Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854

The Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854 (17 & 18 Vict. c.103) allowed electors of populous places to choose to establish town commissioners. This enabled many newer communities that had never had municipal status to gain local government bodies. Many of the towns governed by the 1828 act replaced this with the new legislation as it provided the commissioners with greater powers.

Townships established by Local Acts

A number of towns took a different route to establish local authorities in their areas, by having private acts passed in parliament. These acts established "townships" with defined boundaries, defined the powers of the commissioners, gave them powers to make rates, named the first members and provided a procedure for subsequent elections. The majority of townships were formed in the rapidly growing suburbs of Dublin. In order to gain further powers or adjust their boundaries the township commissioners had to apply for a further act of parliament.

Changes in the 1870s

In 1872 the Local Government Board (Ireland) was formed. One of its duties was to consider applications for the formation of commissioners under the 1854 act, and for alteration of the areas of existing local government towns. The board issued annual reports on its activities, detailing the finances and condition of the various municipalities under its control.

In 1878 Ireland was divided into sanitary districts, with all commissioners in towns with a population of more than 6000 becoming urban sanitary authorities. The Local Government Board had the power to designate additional towns with commissioners as sanitary districts.

List of Towns with Commissioners in 1881

The report of the Municipal Boundaries Commissioners (Ireland) in 1881 listed 102 towns in Ireland with commissioners: [Report of the Municipal Boundaries Commission (Ireland), part III, Report and Evidence with appendices 1881]

Towns governed under the 1854 Act

There were 76 such towns in 1881:
*Arklow, County Wicklow
*Athy, County Kildare
*Ardee, County Louth
*Athlone, County Roscommon and County Westmeath
*Antrim, County Antrim
*Aughnacloy, County Tyrone
*Bagenalstown, County Carlow
*Balbriggan, County Dublin
*Ballymena, County Antrim
*Ballymoney, County Antrim
*Belturbet, County Cavan
*Ballyshannon, County Donegal
*Banbridge, County Down
*Bangor, County Down
*Ballybay, County Monaghan
*Ballinasloe, County Galway and County Roscommon
*Ballina, County Mayo
*Boyle, County Roscommon
*Carlow, County Carlow
*Callan, County Kilkenny
*Clonakilty, County Cork
*Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary
*Cashel, County Tipperary
*Cavan, County Cavan
*Cootehill, County Cavan
*Coleraine, County Londonderry
*Carrickmacross, County Monaghan
*Castleblayney, County Monaghan
*Clones, County Monaghan
*Cookstown, County Tyrone
*Castlebar, County Mayo
*Dundalk, County Louth
*Dromore, County Down
*Enniscorthy, County Wexford
*Ennis, County Clare
*Fermoy, County Cork
*Gorey, County Wexford
*Gilford, County Down
*Holywood, County Down
*Killiney and Ballybrack, County Dublin
*Kells, County Meath
*Kinsale, County Cork
*Keady, County Antrim
*Killarney, County Kerry
*Longford, County Longford
*Lismore, County Waterford
*Larne, County Antrim
*Lisburn, County Antrim and County Down
*Lurgan, County Armagh
*Letterkenny, County Donegal
*Limavady, County Londonderry
*Loughrea, County Galway
*Maryborough, Queen's County
*Mountmellick, Queen's County
*Mullingar, County Westmeath
*Midleton, County Cork
*Naas, County Kildare
*Newbridge, County Kildare
*Navan, County Meath
*New Ross, County Wexford
*Nenagh, County Tipperary
*Newtownards, County Down
*Parsontown, King's County
*Portadown, County Armagh
*Rathkeale, County Limerick
*Roscommon, County Roscommon
*Skibbereen, County Cork
*Strabane, County Tyrone
*Tullamore, King's County
*Trim, County Meath
*Templemore, County Tipperary
*Thurles, County Tipperary
*Tipperary, County Tipperary
*Tandragee, County Antrim
*Tuam, County Galway
*Westport, County Mayo

According to the 1878 report of The Local Government Board, the 1854 Act was adopted in Strandtown, County Antrim on February 25, 1878. ["Local Government Board (Ireland), Sixth Annual Report for the year 1878] However the town is not listed in later reports, and was subsequently incorporated into the borough of Belfast.

Towns governed under the 1828 Act

Only 11 towns were still governed by the act:
*Armagh, County Armagh
*Bandon, County Cork
*Downpatrick, County Down
*Dungannon, County Tyrone
*Fethard, County Tipperary
*Mallow, County Cork
*Monaghan, County Monaghan
*Omagh, County Tyrone
*Tralee, County Kerry
*Wicklow, County Wicklow
*Youghal, County Cork

Towns and Townships under Special Acts

There were 14 towns with commissioners formed under such legislation:
*Blackrock, County Dublin
*Bray, County Wicklow
*Clontarf, County Dublin
*Dalkey, County Dublin
*Drumcondra, County Dublin
*Enniskillen, County Fermanagh
*Galway, County Galway
*New Kilmainham, County Dublin
*Kingstown, County Dublin
*Newry, County Armagh and County Down
*Pembroke, County Dublin
*Queenstown, County Cork
*Rathmines and Rathgar, County Dublin

Towns governed under the Municipal Corporations Act

Only one town had established Municipal Commissioners following the 1840 Act:
*Carrickfergus, County Antrim

In addition to these 102 towns there were 11 boroughs, making 113 towns and cities with some form of local government on Ireland. For completeness, the boroughs were

*Belfast
*Clonmel
*Cork
*Drogheda
*Dublin
*Kilkenny
*Limerick
*Londonderry
*Sligo
*Waterford
*Wexford (restored 1846)

Changes in 1899 - 1901

The Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 created a new type of local authority the urban district governed by an urban district council. All town commissioners that were sanitary authorities became urban district councils. In addition the Local Government Board were given the power to constitute any other local government town with a population of more than 1500 as an urban district, although the ratepayers could petition to prevent the application of this section of the act.

The effect of this was that the number of towns with commissioners was greatly reduced. By 1902 74 urban districts had been formed, leaving only 30 towns still governed under the 1854 act. These towns formed part of the surrounding rural district also created by the Local Government Act for nearly all local government purposes, comparted with the urban district councils, who enjoyed considerable powers. Over the next few years the number varied as some towns became urban districtsand other communities adopted the act of 1854.

Town Commissioners in Northern Ireland

Following partition in 1922, four towns with commissioners situated in the six counties of Northern Ireland. The number was reduced to three in 1925 when Downpatrick became an urban district. The remaining town commissioners were dissolved in 1959 and 1962, their functions being transferred to the rural district council:
*Antrim, County Antrim, dissolved 1962
*Aughnacloy, County Tyrone, dissolved 1959
*Gilford, County Down, dissolved 1959

Town Commissioners in independent Ireland

In the Irish Free State and later the Republic of Ireland, town commissioners continued to exist until 2002. The 1854 act was still occasionally used to create new local government towns.

The Local Government Act 1925 enabled existing town commissioners to dissolve themselves and for urban district councils to downgrade themselves to commissioners.

Where commissioners ceased to exist, their duties were taken over by the county council. However, the town still had a legal existence and separate rates were levied in its area, and the county council had to prepare accounts as commissioners for the town. An example was Newcastle West in County Limerick, whose commissioners were dissolved in 1941, but who received a grant of a coat of arms by the Chief Herald of Ireland in 1980 - the grant being to "Limerick County Council for the Town of Newcastle West". In 1994 all such towns were finally abolished, by Section 62 of the Local Government Act 1994. [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/ZZA8Y1994S62.html]

The Local Government Act 2001 redesignated town commissioners and urban district councils as town councils from 1 January 2002.

List of Town Commissioners in Ireland 1922 - 2002

*Ardee, County Louth
*Balbriggan, County Dublin
*Ballybay, County Monaghan
*Ballyshannon, County Donegal
*Bandon, County Cork
*Bantry, County Cork
*Belturbet, County Cavan, downgraded from Urban District 1950
*Boyle, County Roscommon
*Callan, County Kilkenny, dissolved 1940
*Cootehill, County Cavan, downgraded from Urban District 1950
*Droichead Nua or Newbridge, County Kildare
*Edenderry, County Offaly
*Gorey, County Wexford
*Granard, County Longford, downgraded from Urban District 1944
*Greystones, County Wicklow, created 1984
*Fethard, County Tipperary, dissolved 1936
*Kilkee, County Clare
*Leixlip, County Kildare, created 1988
*Lismore, County Waterford
*Loughrea, County Galway
*Mountmellick, County Laois
*Muine Bheag or Bagenalstown, County Carlow
*Mullingar, County Westmeath
*Newcastle West, County Limerick, dissolved 1941
*Passage West, County Cork
*Portlaoise, County Laois
*Rathkeale, County Limerick, dissolved 1926
*Roscommon, County Roscommon, dissolved 1927
*Shannon, County Clare, created 1982
*Tramore, County Waterford, created 1948
*Tuam, County Galway

ources

*"Local Government in Ireland", Desmond Roche, Dublin 1982

References