From National to World Metropolis: Governing London, 1750–1850

Abstract

Between 1750 and 1850 London grew rapidly in size and importance but remained a conurbation of disparate communities that lacked any unitary local government. The City Corporation was the most democratic local government authority in any British city. In the early Victorian period the Corporation carried out an effective programme of sanitary reform but its reputation was undermined by the lack of constitutional reform. Outside the City, parish vestries remained the principal local authorities throughout the nineteenth century but were increasingly criticised as corrupt, ineffective, oligarchic and sectarian. Parliament devolved many local responsibilities to improvement commissions, which led to some administrative confusion but also to real improvements, notably in regard to sewerage. Public order was maintained partly because Londoners were well fed and partly because the government professionalized both the magistracy and the police force, but the changes effected by the Metropolitan Police have been exaggerated. Local government in London from 1750 to 1850 reflected local and national realities and was more successful than has generally been recognized.