Unreformed boroughs were those corporate towns in England and Wales which had not been reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 76). A handful of these obtained new charters under the 1835 act. A royal commission was established in 1876 to inquire into these boroughs, and legislation passed in 1883 finally forced the reform or dissolution of these corporations by 1886.
Boroughs reformed 1835–1881 Only nine unreformed boroughs obtained new charters under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 76):
Borough Year Honiton, Devon 1846Charter dated 17 November 1846, first election of councillors 1 February 1847, first election of mayor and aldermen 3 February 1847. Hartlepool, County Durham 1850 Yeovil, Somerset 1854 Aberavon, Glamorgan 1861 Hedon, Yorkshire 1861The Municipal corporations act was applied to the borough by the Hedon Corporation and Borough Improvement Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict c.xxxi). The first elections to the reformed borough were held on 1 November 1860. Reigate, Surrey 1863 Dunstable, Bedfordshire 1864 Conwy (Conway), Caernarfonshire 1877 Lewes, Sussex 1881 Three other towns incorporated in this period are sometimes listed as unreformed boroughs. The first of these was Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, incorporated in 1847. Although it may have had an existence as a municipality, it had ceased to exist by the nineteenth century. Peterborough, in Northamptonshire and Huntingdonshire, was incorporated in 1874. The town was governed by officials of the dean and diocese of Peterborough. Taunton, in Somerset, whose charter had been nullified in 1792 due to a failure to fill vacancies in the corporation, continued as a parliamentary borough and the town was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1877.
The royal commission of 1876
The Royal Commission on Unreformed Municipal Corporations was appointed in 1876. It investigated the unreformed boroughs and made recommendations on which towns might be brought under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 (5 & 6 Will. 4. c. 76).
The commissioners identified 75 towns with corporations still functioning, and recommended that 26 of them should be reformed, the others being abolished. They also named a further 32 towns in which the corporation had become extinct, although the boroughs still had a legal existence. Of these, 10 had ceased to operate since 1835.
The commissioners' report was not acted upon for seven years. In the meantime, one of the towns they considered suitable for municipal government, Lewes was reformed, and the 1835 legislation was replaced by the Municipal Corporations Act 1882 (45 & 46 Vict. c. 50).
Municipal Corporations Act 1883
The Municipal Corporations Act 1883 (46 & 47 Vict. c. 18) provided for the abolition of unreformed borough corporations, unless they obtained a new charter under the 1882 legislation.
Section 3 stated that “The place shall not be a corporate town or borough, and any municipal or other corporation thereof existing shall be dissolved” if a new charter had not been obtained by 29 September 1886.
The first and second schedules listed the corporations investigated by the 1876 commission. The successors are municipal boroughs, local government districts, rural sanitary districts and improvement commissioners districts. Corporation or reputed corporationCountyCommissioners’ reportFate of corporationSuccessorAldeburghSuffolkRecommended reformReformed 1885Aldeburgh MBAlnwickNorthumberlandRecommended reformAbolished 1886Alnwick LGDAlresfordHampshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Alresford RSDAltrinchamCheshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886Altrincham LGD ApplebyWestmorlandRecommended reformReformed 1885Appleby MBAxbridgeSomersetRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Axbridge RSDBalaMerionethshireLong extinctAbolished 1886Bala LGDBangorCaernarfonshireLong extinctReformed 1883Bangor MBBerkeleyGloucestershireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Thornbury RSDBishops CastleShropshireRecommended reformReformed 1885Bishop's Castle MBBossineyCornwallExtinct since 1835Abolished 1886absorbed by Camelford RSDBovey TraceyDevonRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Newton Abbot RSDBrackleyNorthamptonshireRecommended abolitionReformed 1886 Brackley MBBradingHampshire (Isle of Wight)Recommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Isle of Wight RSDBradninchDevonRecommended reformAbolished 1886absorbed by Tiverton RSDBridlingtonYorkshireLong extinctAbolished 1886Bridlington LGDCaerwysFlintshireExtinct since 1835Abolished 1886absorbed by Holywell RSDCamelfordCornwallRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Camelford RSDCastle RisingNorfolkExtinct since 1835Abolished 1886absorbed by Freebridge Lynn RSDChipping CampdenGloucestershireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Shipston on Stour RSDChipping SodburyGloucestershireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Chipping Sodbury RSDChristchurchHampshireRecommended reformReformed 1886Christchurch MBClunShropshireExtinct since 1835Abolished 1886absorbed by Clun RSDCorfe CastleDorsetRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Wareham & Purbeck RSDCowbridgeGlamorganshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Bridgend & Cowbridge RSDCricciethCaernarfonshireLong extinctAbolished 1886Criccieth ICDCrickhowellBrecknockshireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Crickhowell RSDDinas MawddwyMerionethshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Dolgelley RSDDunwichSuffolkRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Blything RSDDursleyGloucestershireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Dursley RSD East LooeCornwallRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Liskeard RSDFarnhamSurreyLong extinctAbolished 1886Farnham LGDFishguardPembrokeshireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Haverfordwest RSDFordwichKentRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Bridge RSDGarstangLancashireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Garstang RSD GrampoundCornwallLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by St Austell RSDGreat DunmowEssexRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Dunmow RSDHarlechMerionethshireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Ffestiniog RSDHartonDevonRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Bideford RSDHayBrecknockshireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Hay RSDHavering-atte-BowerEssexRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Romford RSDHenley-on-ThamesOxfordshireRecommended reformReformed 1883Henley-on-Thames MBHigham FerrersNorthamptonshireRecommended abolitionReformed 1886Higham Ferrers MBHoltDenbighshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Wrexham RSDIlchesterSomersetRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Yeovil RSDKenfigGlamorganshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Bridgend & Cowbridge RSDKidwellyCarmarthenshireRecommended reformReformed 1885Kidwelly MBKilgerranPembrokeshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Cardigan RSDLampeterCardiganshireRecommended abolitionReformed 1884Lampeter MBLangport EastoverSomersetRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Langport RSDLaugharneCarmarthenshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Carmarthen RSDLlanellyCarmarthenshireExtinct since 1835Abolished 1886Llanelly LGDLlanfyllinMontgomeryshireRecommended reformReformed 1885Llanfyllin MBLlantrisantGlamorganshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Pontypridd RSDLostwithielCornwallRecommended reformReformed 1885Lostwithiel MBLoughorGlamorganshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Llanelly RSDLyddKentRecommended reformReformed 1885Lydd MBMachynllethMontgomeryshireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Machynlleth RSDMalmesburyWiltshireRecommended reformReformed 1886Malmesbury MBMarazionCornwallRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Penzance RSDMidhurstSussexLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Midhurst RSDMontgomeryMontgomeryshireRecommended reformReformed 1885Montgomery MBNevinCaernarfonshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Pwllheli RSDNew RomneyKentRecommended reformReformed 1885New Romney MBNewboroughAngleseyLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Carnarvon RSDNewportShropshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886Newport LGDNewportPembrokeshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Cardigan RSDNewtonLancashireLong extinctAbolished 1886Newton in Makerfield LGD NewtownHampshire (Isle of Wight)Extinct since 1835Abolished 1886absorbed by Isle of Wight RSDOkehamptonDevonRecommended reformReformed 1885Okehampton MBOrfordSuffolkRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Plomesgate RSDOverCheshireRecommended reformAbolished 1886Winsford LGDOvertonFlintshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Ellesmere RSDPetersfieldHampshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Petersfield RSDPevenseySussexRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Eastbourne RSDPlympton EarleDevonExtinct since 1835Abolished 1886absorbed by Plympton St Mary RSDPresteigneRadnorshireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Knighton RSDRhuddlanFlintshireExtinct since 1835Abolished 1886absorbed by St Asaph RSDQueenboroughKentRecommended reformReformed 1885Queenborough MBRadnorRadnorshireRecommended reformAbolished 1886absorbed by Kington RSDRomney MarshKentRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Romney Marsh RSDRuytonShropshireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Oswestry RSDSt ClearsCarmarthenshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Carmarthen RSDSt David'sPembrokeshireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Haverfordwest RSDSaltashCornwallRecommended reformReformed 1885Saltash MBSeafordSussexRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886Seaford LGDSutton ColdfieldWarwickshireRecommended reformReformed 1885Sutton Coldfield MBTavistockDevonLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Tavistock RSDThornburyGloucestershireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886 absorbed by Thornbury RSDTregonyCornwallExtinct since 1835Abolished 1886absorbed by Truro RSD UskMonmouthshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886Usk LGDWarehamDorsetRecommended reformReformed 1886Wareham MBWeobleyHerefordshireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Weobley RSDWestburyWiltshireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Westbury & Whorwellsdown RSDWest LooeCornwallExtinct since 1835Abolished 1886absorbed by Liskeard RSDWickwarGloucestershireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Chipping Sodbury RSDWiltonWiltshireRecommended reformReformed 1885Wilton MBWinchcombGloucestershireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Winchcomb RSDWinchelseaSussexRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Rye RSDWistonPembrokeshireLong extinctAbolished 1886absorbed by Haverfordwest RSDWokinghamBerkshireRecommended reformReformed 1883Wokingham MBWoodstockOxfordshireRecommended reformReformed 1886Woodstock MBWootton BassettWiltshireRecommended reformAbolished 1886absorbed by Cricklade & Wootton Bassett RSDWotton-under-EdgeGloucestershireRecommended abolitionAbolished 1886absorbed by Dursley RSDYarmouthHampshire (Isle of Wight)Recommended abolitionAbolished 1886 absorbed by Isle of Wight RSD
A number of the boroughs abolished in 1886 subsequently regained borough status, the earliest being Cowbridge in 1887. When such boroughs were created, however, they were entirely new creations with no claim to the former property of the abolished boroughs.
Other provisions The 1886 act also dealt with a number of other corporations with a status similar to boroughs:
The Confederation of the Cinque Ports were to retain their privileges in those towns with a reformed corporation. Non-corporate members were to be merged with the county and hundred in which they lay geographically. The corporation of the ancient town of Winchelsea was to become a charitable trust. The corporation of the bailiff jurats and commonalty of Romney Marsh was to continue to exist, but would only exercise such non-municipal powers.