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Brentford Local Board Members and Councillors

From a researcher's point of view you are fortunate if your family includes a councillor: there are group photos of councillors (Chiswick Library holds several) and local newspapers will often include an obituary, which may provide details of their family and forebears, and details of their funeral, including lists of mourners. See the A-Z of councillor names which includes links to further material provided by Janet.

A brief history of Brentford local government

In 1894 the Local Board was replaced by Brentford Urban District Council and in 1927 this joined with Chiswick to become the Brentford & Chiswick UDC. In 1932 this body became a Municipal Borough, with a mayor and aldermen: the first (charter) mayor was James Clements.

In 1965 Brentford became part of the London Borough of Hounslow.

The following notes are in date order and comprise various articles located by Janet McNamara, Peter King and Mary Blyth which provide some insights into Victorian and later local government and the men that served.

Local Board Members / Councillors 1874

• HS Barnes
• William Barnes
• Henry Besley
• John Carpenter
• George Clarke
• Charles Cross
• John Figg
• William Gomm
• George H Jupp
• Thomas Layton: Thomas Layton website
• John Meyers
• James Montgomrey

Committees in 1882

FINANCE COMMITTEE

• Honeybone
• Clarke
• Lewis
• Nash

• Walker
• Gomm
• Croxford
• Goddard
• Braden
• Jackson

• Honeybone
• Goddard
• Bignell
• Nash
• Lewis

• Gomm
• Walker
• Lewis
• Bignall

• Honeybone
• Goddard
• Nash
• Braden

Details of the 1881 census are reported on Feb 7th 1882 (page 19).

1883 Local Board

In 1883 the following names went on the Sewage Pumping Station plaque: Robert R Bignell Charles Braden George Clarke Henry Croxford Samuel Goddard William Gomm Thomas Honeybone Walter H Jackson Thomas Layton (chairman) Joseph B Lewis Frederick Nash Stephen Walker and Stephen Woodbridge was the Clerk

1884 Local Board

On 5 April 1884 the following nominations for Local Board were reported in the local newspaper:

• Charles Braden, miller, Holly House, Boston Road (nom. by Mr Gomm (the late), Mr Bradbury & Mr Nash)
• George Charles Collier, spirit merchant, 194 High Street (Mr J O Neville)
• Joseph Bridges Lewis, draper, 129 & 130 High Street (Mr Gomm, Mr Bradbury & Mr Nash)
• W Merriman, soap-maker, Beaufort House, Butts (Mr Montague Ballard, Mr G H Jupp and Mr G Smith)
• James Stevens, gentleman, Pembroke Cottage Enfield Road (Mr W G Brown, Mr H Smith and Mr Reeves)
• Stephen Walker, timber merchant, Park Lodge, Boston Road (Mr Gomm, Mr Bradbury & Mr Nash)
• Simon Hirst Watkins, merchant, Brentford End, Isleworth (Mr J T G Morris, Mr W H Jackson & Mr B Gregory)
• Henry Willey WIlliams, gentleman, Park House, Boston Road (Mr J F Adcock) A note followed that 'Mr Williams ... withdraws from the contest'

1886 Brentford District Council

In 1896 the Members, Clerk, Surveyor, and Medical Officer of the Brentford District Council were:

• George Band
• Dr Henry Bott (Medical Officer)
• Mr Chovil
• James Clements
• George Charles Collier
• Charles J Cross
• John J Dorey
• W J Gomm
• Walter H Jackson
• Thomas Layton
• Nowell Parr (Surveyor)
• Henry Taylor
• Joseph Thomas Taylor
• Edwin Underwood
• Stephen Woodbridge (Clerk) .

Attendances of Members between 18th April 1893 and 20th November 1894

The table below lists the 12 councillors in descending order of attendance at board meetings during a 7 month period: each month a councillor was expected to attend around six board meetings and, depending on the committees they served on, anything up to a further nine committee meetings.

Of the five committees four are as in 1882; the Streets Naming and Numbering Committee of 1882 had presumably done its job (the High Street was numbered in 1876) and the Market Committee was the 'special project' of the day: the new Market Hall opened in 1893 (the site has some photos of the hall, use Search on the home page to find images). The number of meetings called, 21, seems low as three of the councillors attended more meetings than this.

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1899-1905 Brentford Elections

This article by John Grigg was originally published in the Brentford & Chiswick Local History Journal 4 (1985).

Photo taken at the opening of Brentford Library, 1904 showing the Library Committee and other dignitaries.

1908 Brentford Councillors

• Councillors
• W Bradley
• James Clements
• John Dorey (vice chairman)
• G Lamb
• J B Milburn
• H Newens
• W J Noy
• Evan Phillips JP (chairman)
• C E Saunders
• J T Taylor JP CC
• Dr W H Walter
• Officials
• Harry Coleman (sanitary inspector)
• J W Croxford (surveyor)
• James Prince (rate collector)
• Stephen Woodbridge (clerk)

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Brentford UDC Members and Officials 1927

• WJ Bolton
• James Clements JP, Vice-Chairman
• Harry Coleman, Sanitary Inspector
• Charles Henry Curtis
• Harry F Davis
• E Digby, Market Superintendent
• W Flewitt
• T Grant
• JB Hart
• William Henry Mills JP, CC , Chairman
• AE Moore
• RC Neil, Ministry of Health
• Henry J Newens
• Frederick Francis Poole
• Thomas William Stockley
• C Turner, Clerk
• Fred A Turner, Librarian
• WJW Westlake, Surveyor

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A-Z of councillors and officials

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Published March 2011; updated July 2016