Mayor of Dudley

The Mayor of Dudley is an office held by a councillor of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. The post is partly ceremonial although the mayor does also preside over full meetings of the council and has the duty of holding decision makers to account. The mayor is elected by fellow councillors in May of each year. Before 1865, when the municipal borough was incorporated, the position was associated with the Court Leet of the Lords of Dudley, which governed the borough of Dudley from at least the middle of the 16th century and probably from the Middle Ages. The earliest known mayor, John A’Parke was selected in 1565.

History

In the earliest records, the Mayor of Dudley was an official of the Court Leet of the Lords of Dudley. This was a manorial court that provided local governance to the borough of Dudley. The first named mayor is John A'Parke who was mayor in 1565.[1] Records of the court leet before the middle of the 18th century are sparse [2] so only a few names of the earliest mayors are known. One notable early mayor was Richard Foley, chosen in 1615.[3] Oliver Dixon, mayor in 1690, came from a prominent local family that gave their name to the Dixons Green area of Dudley.[4] Although the leading body governing the town changed in 1791, as the Town Commissioners came into being, [1] the court leet continued to meet until the year after the incorporation of the borough in 1865. The mayor selected in 1860 was Charles Francis George Clark, author of The Curiosities of Dudley and the Black Country.[5]

Since 1865 mayors have been chosen from an elected councillor. The first mayor of the new municipal borough was Frederick Smith.[6] A notable mayor from this period was the industrialist Noah Hingley (1869-70). Noah's son Benjamin Hingley was the last mayor of the municipal borough, serving two terms from 1887. The Local Government Act 1888 changed the status of Dudley to a County Borough, effective from 1 April 1889. The first mayor selected by the new authority was William Squires Gorton. [7] Notable mayors from this period include William Humble Ward, 2nd Earl of Dudley (1895-96) and the founder of Bean Cars, Sir George Bean, who served three terms as mayor: in 1908 and 1911-1912. After the Earl of Dudley had finished his two terms, the next mayor was the Netherton-born George Henry Dunn, who had started his working life, still a child, in a colliery.[8]

The first female Mayor of Dudley was Dr Katherine Churchill Rogers. She was elected in 1971, and then again in 1985.[6] In 1974 the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley was created from the former County Borough of Dudley and other neighbouring local authorities. The first mayor of the new Metropolitan Borough of Dudley was Mrs. Mary J.Pargeter.[6]

The present custom is to elect the mayor and deputy mayor in May of each year.[9] The position of Mayoress or Consort is appointed by the mayor and is usually the spouse of the mayor. The position of Mayor is partly ceremonial although the office holder also presides over meetings of the full council and has the duty of holding council decision makers to account.[9]

Regalia

Both the mayor and deputy mayor have ceremonial robes.[10] The mayor also has a badge and chain as does the mayoress or consort. Since the badges predate the creation of the Metropolitan Borough in 1974, they carry the civic arms of the County Borough of Dudley. The regalia also includes a mace and staff. The silver mace, the oldest item in the regalia, was presented by William, Viscount Dudley and Ward to the town of Dudley in 1798.

Mayors of Dudley

Early mayors

Sources: Chandler and Hannah[3] and History of the Mayor of Dudley[1]

18th century Mayors of the Court Leet

Source: Chandler and Hannah[3]

19th century Mayors of the Court Leet

Mayors of the Municipal Borough of Dudley

Mayors of the County Borough of Dudley

Source: Dudley MBC,[11] Atkins, Matthews and Robins[12]and Chandler and Hannah[3]

Mayors of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley

References

  1. 1 2 3 "History of the Mayor of Dudley". mayorofdudley.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  2. ↑ Chandler, G; Hannah, I. C. (1949). Dudley as it was and as it is today. London: Batsford. p. 139.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Chandler, G; Hannah, I. C. (1949). Dudley as it was and as it is today. London: Batsford. p. 192.
  4. ↑ Ellis, Jason (2002). Glassmakers of Stourbridge and Dudley 1612-2002. Jason Ellis. pp. 285–298. ISBN 1401067999.
  5. ↑ Clarke, C.F.G. (1881). The Curiosities of Dudley and the Black Country. Birmingham: Buckler Brothers.
  6. 1 2 3 Shaw, Dan (2010-10-07). "Dudley mayors through the years". Black Country Bugle. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  7. ↑ Chandler, G; Hannah, I. C. (1949). Dudley as it was and as it is today. London: Batsford. p. 193.
  8. ↑ Williams, Ned (2008). Netherton People & Places. The History Press. p. 66. ISBN 9780750946667.
  9. 1 2 "The Mayor of Dudley". mayorofdudley.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  10. ↑ "Dudley's little book of big history" (PDF). mayorofdudley.org.uk. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  11. ↑ "Mayors of Dudley". Flickr. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  12. ↑ Atkins, Hilary; Matthews, Diane; Robins, Samantha (1999). Dudley the Twentieth Century. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0750922125.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Labour Councillors in Dudley". Dudley MBC. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Conservative Councillors". Dudley MBC. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  15. ↑ Large, Heather. "What it's like to... Be a mayor". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
  16. ↑ "Mayor of Dudley". Dudley MBC. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.