Records of Stafford Borough (pre-1974)
- Located At: Staffordshire Record Office
- Document Reference Number: D(W)0/8, 236, 816, D920, D1033, D1323, D1419, D1490, D1494, 1495, D(W)1714, D(W)1715, D(W)1759, D(W)1796, D3130, D3180, 3204, D3263, D3315, D3323, 3516, 3664, 3685, D3704, D4123, D5484, D5890, D5893/1, D5991, D6117, 6438, 7210, 7307, 7483, D8012, D8089
- Date: c1528-1983
- Level: Collection
- Administrative History: Stafford Borough, Municipal Borough, or Corporation, was an ancient authority. In the late 19th century and early 20th century it acquired functions from other local authorities such as Stafford Improvement Commissioners, Stafford Burial Board and Stafford Urban Sanitary District. It also acquired various public undertakings, such as gas, electricity and water. The Borough boundary was extended at various dates during the 19th and 20th centuries. During much of the 19th century, it was co-terminous with the boundary of the united civil parish of St Mary & St Chad, and fulfilled many of the civil parish functions. It was first extended to include the eastern part of Castle Church parish, covering the Forebridge and Foregate areas of Stafford. Other extensions in 1917 and 1934 brought in the new suburbs to the south and west of the town, and also the railway station, cemetery and common. Stafford Borough was re-formed in 1974, together with other urban and rural district councils. It incorporated the Stafford Rural, Stone Urban, Stone Rural and Gnosall Rural Districts, and the modern district council is called Stafford Borough Council. For a full history of the town of Stafford, see the Victoria County History for Staffordshire, vol. VI.
- Format: Local Authorities
- Description: This collection includes the main Borough order books and committee minutes, early chamberlain's accounts, records of Corporation property, admissions of burgesses, registers of apprenticeships, and electoral records for municipal and Parliamentary elections in the Borough constituency. The property records include title deeds, mortgages, and hundreds of leases of Corporation property and sales of new building land. In addition, there is a large quantity of Clerk's correspondence and other papers grouped under two headings of "legal" and "general". These give immense background detail into the running of Stafford Corporation in the 19th century, and the main issues affecting the Town. It has not proved possible to list every item, but extensive bundle descriptions give the main contents of each bundle.
Of particular interest in the legal correspondence are the issues relating to elections in the 1830s-1850s, the state of the Borough finances, and the Corporation property, particularly dealing with the boundary extensions, the Coton Field, and the raising of mortgages on property and tolls. Papers relating to the Watch Rate include information about the 1842 Chartist riots in the Potteries Towns and the development of the new police forces.
The general correspondence includes a wealth of information about individuals and buildings, from complaints about the town's sanitation to the number of inns supplying stabling accommodation for the yeomanry. Copy returns to Parliament also supply information about a variety of local matters.
The collection also includes records over which the Borough acted incidentally, such as local charities and the Free Grammar School for which it was trustee, and the local military tribunals for the First World War. Other papers of interest relating to the wars include letters from the troops relating to Welcome Home celebrations after the Boer and Second World Wars, and lists of dependants of servicemen in the First World War giving details of regiment.
The main collection has the reference D1323. There are several other accessions of recoords which include financial and rating records, and building control plans.
[Note: records of the post-1974 enlarged Stafford Borough Council are separately catalogued.] - Reproduction Conditions: Any questions concerning the publication of images of documents in this collection should be directed to the County Archivist, Staffordshire Record Office, Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2 LZ.
- Accession Number: SRO 5890
- Accession Number: SRO 5983
- Accession Number: SRO 5991
- Accession Number: SRO 7483
- Accession Number: SRO 7673
- Accession Number: SRO 7756
- Accession Number: SRO 7382
- Accession Number: SRO 7307
- Accession Number: SRO 7210
- Accession Number: SRO W0/8
- Accession Number: SRO 8012
- Accession Number: SRO 8089
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