County Borough of Oldham
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| County Borough of Oldham | |
 |
|
| Motto: Sapere aude (Dare to be wise) | |
| Geography | |
| Status | County borough |
| 1911 area | 4,736 acres (19.2 km²) |
| 1961 area | 6,392 acres (25.9 km²) |
| HQ | Old Town Hall |
| History | |
| Created | 1889 |
| Abolished | 1974 |
| Succeeded by | Metropolitan Borough of Oldham |
| Demography | |
|---|---|
| 1911 population | 137,246 |
| 1971 population | 105,922 |
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The County Borough of Oldham was, from 1889 to 1974, a local government district coterminate with the town of Oldham in the northwest of England.[1] It was alternatively known as Oldham County Borough and the County of Oldham.
The district was created by the Local Government Act 1888, with its boundaries based upon the earlier Municipal Borough of Oldham (created in 1849), from which it inherited its borough status.
As part of the terms of any county borough in England, it was decided that to let the then Lancashire County Council have local authority over Oldham would be impractical due to its large size, population and economy, and so the district was independent from the administrative county of Lancashire it would otherwise have been part of.
Neighbouring districts included Chadderton Urban District to the west, Crompton Urban District to the north, Lees Urban District to the east, Royton Urban District to the northwest, amongst others.
The County Borough of Oldham was abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 and its territory transferred to Greater Manchester to, for the most part, form part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham.
[edit] Coat of arms
The Oldham County Borough Council's coat of arms are based on those of the ancient family surnamed "Oldham", which are Sable a chevron Or between three Owls Argent on a Chief Or three Roses Gules. The owls suggest that the family, like the town, called itself 'Owdham', and adopted the birds in allusion to its name. The red roses are not derived immediately from the emblem of the Duchy of Lancaster, but are taken from the arms of the Oldham family. It is, however, possible that the family set the Red Rose of Lancaster on their shield to denote their Lancastrian sympathies.
The motto refers to the owls, as in heraldry they are considered birds of wisdom. They were granted 7 November 1894. The earlier Oldham Municipal Borough Council had been using the arms of the family of Oldham, but the College of Arms wrote to the council stating they had no right to present them.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ A vision of Oldham CB/MB, visionofbritain.org.uk. URL accessed February 20, 2007.
- ^ R.D.W. Young (1998-2007). Civic Heraldry of England and Wales - Greater Manchester (http). civicheraldry.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
[edit] External links
- A vision of Oldham CB/MB, visionofbritain.org.uk.
