Transcription of a part of the review of Leeds municipal corporations in 1835

LEEDS:
Transcription of the Voters list for Temple Newsam, 1837,46,50,57,60,65 and 1870

Source=h:/!Genuki/RecordTranscriptions/WRY/LeedsShaunCohen.txt

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The following report was compiled as part of the review of municipal corporations in 1835.

1. The Borough of Leeds is co-extensive with the parish of Leeds.

The first charter of incorporation of the borough of Leeds appoints that, under the name of "The Borough of Leeds," the whole parish of Leeds should be comprised.

The parish of Leeds is divided into eleven townships, maintaining separately their own poor.
The borough contains about 20,595 acres and a population of 123,393 persons.


No addition is made to the borough by the Boundary Act; the ancient borough and the Parliamentary borough are coterminous.

2. It does not appear by whom, or at what period, the burgesses of Leeds were first enfranchised.

The town does not appear to have been incorporated before the reign of Charles the First, who by letters patent, in the second year of his reign, granted and appointed the town aforesaid to be a free borough, incorporated by the name of "Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Leeds, in the County of York."

3. This charter was forfeited or surrendered ; and a new charter, the present governing charter, granted, 13th Charles the Second, re-incorporating the borough by the name of "Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Leeds."

This charter ordains the that there shall be one of the burgesses or inhabitants chosen Mayor; twelve of the burgesses or inhabitants named Aldermen; twenty four other able and discreet men, who shall inhabit within the borough, named Assistants; which aldermen and assistants shall be called "The Common Council" and shall be aiding, assisting and counselling the mayor in the well running and governing of the borough.

The charter gives power to power to the mayor, aldermen and assistants (of whom the mayor to be one) to make Bye-laws to govern the inhabitants and that they may have the government of al lands, tenements and goods and chattels etc, of the corporation, with powers and authority to devise, grant, convey and dispose of the same.

The charter next provides that when the mayor and common council shall judge it necessary to make any new laws or ordinances touching the working, dying or sale of Woollen Cloth within the borough, that then the council shall cause to be summoned forty of the more honest and sufficient cloth workers, craftsmen of that mystery, inhabitants within the borough, to meet at a certain time and place, which assembly shall be called "The Common assembly of the Borough" and the laws and ordinances proposed by the mayor and common council to such common assembly and adopted with their advice and consent, shall be inviolably observed by all cloth workers etc.

The charter then empowers the mayor and common council to inflict Fines and Penalties upon all persons offending against such before mentioned laws and ordinances and against any other laws established for the good government of the town, the fairs and markets and grants the fines to the corporation.

The charter then proceeds to nominate the first Mayor, the first Alderman and the first Assistant.

It makes provision for the future, that the mayor, aldermen and assistants for the time being, or the greater part of them, on every feast of St.Michael the Archangel, if it not be the Lord's Day then on the day following after, within the borough aforesaid, shall choose and nominate one other alderman to be Mayor for one whole year and till his successor is elected, such new mayor to take his oath of office within seven days before his immediate predecessor, or two or more aldermen in his absence.

If the person elected shall refuse or fail for ten days to undertake the charge, the common council have power given them to elect another after the said ten days are past.

A power is given to the aldermen and assistants to displace the Mayor for misbehaviour and in case of the amoval or death of a mayor, to assemble in the common hall within a convenient time and elect another out of the aldermen, to execute the office of mayor during the residue of the year.

If any of the Aldermen die or be removed from office, all of whom are declared removable by the mayor and common council (of whom the mayor shall be one), then the mayor, aldermen and the rest of the common council (Of whom the mayor shall be one), or the greater part of them, within a convenient time after the death or removal of such alderman, may elect one or so many as shall be wanting, out of the Assistants of the borough, to fill and exercise the office.

And if one or more of the Assistants of the borough die or be removed, (the assistants being removable by the same persons and for the like causes of the aldermen), then the mayor, aldermen and rest of the common council assembled in any convenient place within the borough, according to their discretion appointed, or the greater part of them so assembled , (of whom the mayor to be one), shall elect so many as shall be wanting of the twenty four assistants, out of the better and more honest Burgesses of the borough, or of the inhabitants within the liberties of the same, into the vacant places.

The charter then prescribes the manner in which the first mayor and the first and all following aldermen and assistants were to be sworn.

It provides that such persons as refuse to serve to serve the offices of mayor, alderman or assistant, upon notice of their nomination or election thereto, shall be subject to such reasonable Fines as the common council think fit to impose, for the use and behoof of the mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough, to be levied and enforced by the usual means of distress and sale of goods, or imprisonment of the person in default of the payment.

The charter then grants a Recorder and names the first, who is appointed for his natural life, subject to removal by the mayor and common council, or the major part of them (of whom the mayor to be one), for misbehaviour; as shall, it is provided, also be, the succeeding recorders, whom the King upon the petition of the mayor, aldermen and burgesses, will assign, name and appoint.

The Recorder is then empowered to nominate and make some other sufficient and discreet person, learned in the laws of England, his Deputy in the office of Recorder for the time being.

The provision for the appointment of a Town Clerk and the power to name and make a deputy are the same as in the case of the recorder.

The charter then grants that the mayor, recorder, deputy recorder and aldermen for the time being, shall be Justices of the Peace for the borough.

And afterwards directs, that they or any three of them, of whom the mayor, recorder or his deputy shall be one, shall hold General Quarter Sessions within the borough; committing traitors, murderers and felons to the gaol of the county of York.

The mayor is further empowered to issue out precepts, in the nature of the writ of Venire Facias to the town clerk, for the summoning and returning of Juries for the quarter sessions. And the men of the borough impannelled on juries are subject to fine if they refuse to serve. All fines imposed at Sessions are given to the Corporation.

There is also authority granted to issue Subpoenas for witnesses and a power of punishing the Officers of the Court for negligence.

Two Sergeants-at-Mace are then constituted ; as is one Coroner, with a non-intromittent clause ; and one Clerk of the Market.

An exemption is granted to the mayor, aldermen and burgesses from serving as jurors, in any courts holden out of the limits of the borough.

The common council are then empowered to choose Constables to serve in the borough, while the burgesses of the borough are excused from serving the like office out of the limits or bounds of the borough.

There is a grant of a Gaol or Prison within the borough; and of the Assize of Wine, Bread, Ale and Victuals within the same.

Persons absenting themselves from the courts or meetings of the common council, after notice, are liable to the assessment of moderate and reasonable fines.

A Market, granted by the former charter of Charles the First, to be holden on every Tuesday, is renewed and confirmed.

On an equality of votes in the common council, a casting voice is given by the charter to the mayor, with a proviso that all meetings to make elections or bye-laws shall consist of the mayor and four aldermen, and so many of the other aldermen and assistants as shall fill up the number of nineteen persons at the least; and that no elections or laws made by a less number shall be of force or binding upon the inhabitants.

Lastly, the charter grants to the common council power and authority, when and as often as it shall be needful, to impose, tax and assess upon the inhabitants and burgesses of the borough for the time being , all such reasonable sums of money, as to the said mayor, aldermen and assistants shall seem fit and necessary, for the maintenance support, dignity, defence and preservation of the corporation and borough , with the same method of proceeding in default of payment, as in the case of fines before specified.
The charter concludes with confirming all rights, privileges, franchises and immunities theretofore enjoyed.

4. The corporation of Leeds is entitled in the last and governing charter, "The Mayor, aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Leeds, in the County of York."
5. The Officers of the corporation named in the governing charter are:

Mayor                              1
 Aldermen                          12
 Assistants                        24
 Recorder                           1
 Deputy Recorder                    1
 Town Clerk                         1
 Deputy Town Clerk (when appointed) 1
 Coroner                            1
 Clerk of the Market                1
 Serjeant-at-Mace                   1
 

6. Other officers of the corporation are

Constables (considered as Mayor's Officers)
 Chief                              1
 Deputy                             1
 Beadle                             1
 Assistant Beadle                   1
 Waits                              2
 

There are certain leet officers besides, but the corporation are not lords of the manor and have no connections with the officers appointed at the leet.

7. There are no Freemen at Leeds all inhabitants are considered to be Burgesses.
8. The mayor is elected at an annual meeting, convened by the serjeant-at-mace, with three days' notice and held at the court house on Michaelmas- Day, unless that day fall upon Sunday and then the following day.

The assembly consists of the mayor, four aldermen and and so many more of the aldermen and assistants as make up nineteen at least, a larger number generally attending.
A majority of these elects one of the aldermen to be mayor for thee year ensuing.
The mayor presides at this meeting and votes, and when the votes are equal gives a second casting vote.
The usual but not the invariable practice, is to, choose the aldermen to this office, according to the rotation of seniority: making, however the newly elected alderman serve as the next mayor. Contests for this office are very rare.
The mayor usually resides in the borough.
The present mayor has a place of business in the town and resides about four miles outside of it.
An instance of the death of a mayor during his year of office is not remembered.
There has ben no instance of a mayor being elected and serving successive years.
The same person has served the office repeatedly, though not consecutive years.
The late mayor has filled the office three times.
There is no rule within what period an alderman shall be eligible to serve again.
Removal from office for misbehaviour is a case provided by the Charter, when it becomes necessary, but the occasion has not occurred.

9. The Aldermen are elected at a meeting, composed in the same manner as the meeting for the choice of mayor.

A majority of this assembly elects an alderman from the assistants.
The charter directs that a vacancy among the aldermen shall be filled up within a convenient time. This being somewhat indefinite, a bye-law has prescribed the period of sixty days.
No rule of rotation is observed in choosing to this office. There is frequently a contest for it.
The mayor presides and votes and if necessary, gives a casting vote. The aldermen hold office until death, resignation or removal; being removable in the same manner and for the same causes as the mayor.
There is no condition of residence as an essential qualification for this office, but in practice, an alderman would not be elected who was not resident at the time of his election.
Of the present aldermen, nine are resident in the town and the remainder in the immediate neighbourhood.
Non-residence is aground for exemption from the fine for resignation, after a twelvemonth, but not for removal.

10. The Assistants are elected at a meeting composed in the like manner of nineteen at the least, of the mayor, aldermen and assistants, out of the burgesses at large and are removable in the same way as the aldermen.

Persons residing in any of the eleven townships may be elected to this office.
The charter says, they shall be "burgesses or inhabitants within the liberties" and there is no bye-law regulating the choice.
In practice, the common council do only elect those who reside within the town in its popular sense. But a burgess was lately elected an assistant who had two houses one in the town and one in the liberties.
The appointment is for life, but assistants can resign with leave of the court, or on payment of a fine.

11. The Select or Governing Body, is composed of the mayor, aldermen and assistants.
12. On petition to the King by the mayor, aldermen and assistants, who have previously agreed upon a fit person at a meeting constituted in the manner aforesaid by a majority of those present, the Crown appoints a Recorder for life.
13. The Deputy Recorder is appointed by the recorder during his pleasure.
14. The Town Clerk is appointed precisely in the same way as the recorder; and in like manner holds his office for life.
15. The Deputy Town Clerkis appointed by the town clerk during his pleasure.
16. The Coroner is appointed by the mayor and aldermen, or the major part of those present, at a meeting held after notice, for the purpose of such an election, the mayor being one. He is chosen from the inhabitants. It has been the practice latterly to appoint professional persons to this office; formerly this qualification was not attended to.
17. The Serjeant-at-Mace is appointed by the mayor and aldermen. He is continued in office and is not considered an annual appointment.
18. The Chief Constable and the Deputy Constable are appointed by the Justices during good behaviour.
19. The Beadle, Assistant Beadle and Waits are appointed by the mayor and aldermen during pleasure.
20. The persons elected to the offices of the Corporation are bound to serve under certain penalties, which are enforced. The Fine for not serving when elected to the office of mayor, (never having served this office) is £400

After having served once            £300
 After having served twice           £200
 Every subsequent refusal            £100
 Until the alderman reaches seventy years of age, when no fine is imposed.
 For not acting as alderman          £500
 Unless he has ceased to be resident in the Borough for twelve months.
 Assistant                           £400
 

The sum of £14 13s 4d is paid by every assistant on his election to the office of alderman.
The sum of £10 13s 4d is paid by every burgess on his election to the office of assistant.
These sums go to the corporation treasury.
The Mayor pays no fine to the corporation on his election to that office; but he pays fees to the town clerk and serjeant-at-mace, amounting to about £1 5s 6d., of which they are,-

             To the Town Clerk        Serjeant-at-Mace        Beadles
 For the Oath      10s                     2s 6d               1s each
 For the Notice     5s
 

21. The regulation of the concerns of the corporation is intrusted who;;y to the Select Body. The select body have the sole power of making bye-laws. There are no guilds, mysteries or trading companies in Leeds. The power given to by the charter of making ordinances relating to woollen cloths has not been exercised. The case is the same with the power vested in the common council of levying taxes on the inhabitants and imposing town dues. The members of the select body have all equal voices in council, except that the mayor has a casting vote.
22. The select body have no Standing Committees and do not appoint committee of management for occasional business. 23. The close constitution of the corporation is obvious; all vacancies in each branch of it being filled by the Select Body, gives to that body absolute and uncontrolled self election.

Family influence is predominant. Fathers and sons and son-in-laws, brothers and brothers-in-law, succeed to the offices of the corporation, like matters of family settlement.

The great respectability of the present members of the corporation and their impartial conduct as justices, were universally acknowledged; but the restricted system and want of a more popular method of election were loudly complained of; and it was said that it would be satisfactory to a great majority of the town, that there should be such more open course,as the Legislature in its wisdom should think best.

The ill effects of the present exclusive system are rendered strikingly apparent from one circumstance in this borough. In cases where the election is popular as in the choice of Commissioners under the Local Acts, the persons selected are all of one political party, professing the opposite opinions to those entertained by the majority of the corporation; which is accounted for by the necessity of balancing the influence of the corporation, at the same that is said to show the inclination of the majority of the town. This choice of commissioners exclusively from one party is admitted to be undesirable, but is justified as being resorted to in self-defence.

24. The Mayor is a Justice of the Peace for the borough and the liberties and precincts of the same, and acts as such at the general and petty sessions held in the borough.

He presides at the courts of mayor, aldermen and assistants and at the meetings for the election of corporate officers.
He is commissioner under the Local Acts for lighting, cleansing and improving the town.
He is commissioner under the Local Acts for erecting a court house.
He has no salary and is not remunerated by fees, perquisites, emoluments or advantages of any kind. It is the contrary of a lucrative office. With some holders of the office it has been the practice to show hospitality to a considerable extent; others have not felt themselves called upon to exercise such hospitality. There is no restriction as to the trade or calling followed by a mayor.

25. The Aldermen are Justices of the Peace and sit at quarter and petty sessions. They are commissioners under Local Acts. They discharge the constitutional duties of attending courts and elections.

They have no emoluments.

26. The functions of Assistants are to attend as members of the common council and discharge the corporate duties attached to their situation, as members of the governing body.

They have no emoluments.

27. The Recorder is a Justice of the Peace within the precincts and sits as such at the quarter sessions by the side of the mayor and acts as a judge.

He has a salary of £21 a year paid by the corporation.
He is a practising barrister residing in London.

28. The Deputy Recorder has a salary of £21 a year.

He is a practising barrister.

29. The Town Clerk is clerk of the peace at the borough sessions and clerk of indictments and arraigns. The jury process in that court is directed to him.

He is clerk to the borough magistrates.
He is solicitor to the corporation.
He attends all courts of the mayor, aldermen and assistants and takes and enters minutes of the proceedings.
He and his partner are clerks to the commissioners under the Local Acts.
He has no fixed salary. His emoluments arise from his fees. Of these he receives as -

Clerk of the Peace, about               £150 p.a. 
 Town Clerk & Clerk to the Justices under 550 p.a.
 Solicitor (average profits)               20 p.a.
 Clerk to Commissioners, a salary of       30 p.a
 

He is an attorney of the Superior Courts at Westminster.

30. The Coroner discharges the usual and familiar duties of his office, for which he is paid by the fixed fee of £1 1s for each inquest and receives mileage. He inquests average of about eighty in a year.
31. The duties of the Serjeant-at-Mace are ministerial.

He is an officer of the court of quarter sessions, who summons juries and executes processes etc.
He is also a mayor's officer and it is duty to attend in processions.
He is paid by a salary and fees. His salary is £10 a year.
He has 5s on the election of every new officer into the corporation.
He has certain fees at the quarter sessions arising out of traverses, which are now reduced to the most trifling amount.

32. The Constables, Chief and Deputy, receive, the former £5 as the latter £3 10s as salary from the Corporation.
33. The Beadle and the Deputy Beadle have salaries of £3 10s each and their clothes provided.
34. The Waits have suits of clothes only.
35. All the inhabitants are exempt from serving on juries out of the borough.
36. The corporation has exclusive criminal jurisdiction within the borough, the Charter containing a non-intromittent clause to the justices of the county of York. The borough justices are to hear and determine at the sessions, such things as appertain to the office of justices of peace of the borough; but any two or more of them, of whom the mayor, recorder, deputy recorder, or one of the senior aldermen, must be one, are enabled and directed to commit offenders in capital cases and manslaughter to the county gaol at York.

The Borough Court of Quarter Sessions is held in the week after the usual sessions week, by adjournment, for the convenience of the bar, before the mayor and three justices, of whom the mayor, recorder or deputy recorder shall be one. The cases and offences tried, are the usual business at quarter sessions. Appeals from orders of removal are not tried here. Appeals against rates and against conviction are. Barristers practice in this court.
Though the jury process is ordered by the charter to be directed to the town clerk, in practice the serjeant-at-mace summons the juries, both grand and petty, without any step being taken by the town clerk.
No list is furnished to the officer and he does not submit any panel to the clerk of the peace. The serjeant is left entirely to his own discretion and takes whom he pleases.
The grand jury he takes from the merchants and more opulent burgesses. The petty jury from the tradesmen and others. It is said, however that he procures very good juries and there are no complaints of the same persons being called upon to serve repeatedly.
The officer's own account of his mode of proceeding, is that he finds out the most respectable persons in each quarter of the town, whom he takes in rotation that does not bring round their turn to serve again till after ten quarters nearly three years. The persons taken as grand jurors are always different at different sessions. Though he received no list, he has made a kind of book for himself and has sometimes 200 names, out of whom to select 24 for the petty juries.
The activity and conduct of the of the present officer seems to supply the want of system; and to prevent any practical inconvenience being felt during his stay of office.
Almost all cases of assault are now disposed of out of court:-

In 1831 there were tried     189 felonies, 16 misdemeanors
 1832                         199 felonies, 13 misdemeanors 
 1833                         166 felonies, 18 misdemeanors
 

Costs are taxed by the clerk of the peace. He has a table by which to tax them, settled by the West Riding magistrates in 1833, upon revision of a former table, which had been altered from time to time. That table leaves no discretion to the officer and is always scrupulously adhered to in taxation of bills.
The average costs of a prosecution for felony is between £4 and £5 of which the attorney receives 17s 3d and the counsel and his clerk £1 3s 6d. As specimens of one of the highest and one of the lowest amount of bills, a case was furnished in which cost amounted to £13 16 8d (in which the witnesses came from a distance); and another, in which the costs were only £2 3s 2d.

There is no Civil Court of the Borough and no Court of Requests.

The mayor assisted by by one or two aldermen, holds Petty Sessions twice a week. One alderman sits daily to transact business as a borough justice, attended by the town clerk.

37. The officers of the borough who are justices of the peace, also hold brewsters' sessions or meetings to grant Licences for public-houses within the borough and liberties. A few additional licences are granted every year; but the number granted is very small compared with the applications. At the last licensing day, 70 licences were applied for; six were granted.

The number of public-houses in the borough is 296. Most of these are old established houses. None of the licensed houses belong to the corporation and none, it is believed to any individual members of it. No partiality or preference in the grant of licenses was imputed.

38. The police of the borough is under control and management of the borough justices, except the lighting the town, which is regulated by commissioners under a Local Act.

The Police Force appointed by the mayor and aldermen consists of a chief constable, with a salary of £250 p.a.; 5 assistant constables, some at £1 5s, some at £1 1s a week; 70 watchmen and patrol in the winter, a reduced number in the summer (twelve in Leeds and one for each out township), at about 15s a week, with a captain at £1 7s and an inspector at 18s a week. These sums are paid out of the court house rate. Constables were before mentioned as appointed at the leet.
In ordinary times this establishment of police force is found quite sufficient to keep the peace and protect the property of the town.

A committee of gentlemen have undertaken at their own request the superintendence of watching the town and engage to make such representation as they consider necessary to the mayor and aldermen.

The lighting the town is under the management of commissioners appointed by an Act of Parliament. By that Act, the mayor and aldermen are commissioners. The qualification is being owners of land of the annual value of £40 or of personalty to the amount of £1,000. The commissioners are annually chosen by the inhabitants, who are rate payers, assembled in the vestry for that purpose. All the present commissioners have qualified. They meet the first Wednesday in the month. Five form a quorum.
The fund for lighting the town is raised by an assessment, which cannot exceed 4d in the pound. The town is partly lighted with gas, but the lighting is insufficient. This ascribed to the inadequacy of the fund; and the rate does appear to be low for the purpose.
The commissioners chosen are opposed to the majority of the corporation in political principles and collisions might be apprehended; but it is said the bodies do not come in contact.

The supply of water to the borough is also regulated by a Local Act . The power is in the commissioners jointly with the borough justices.
The inhabitants pay for the supply according to their consumption.
The Paving of the town takes place under the General Highways Act.

The accounts under the Act for erecting a court house are not published. They are not audited. This, however it should be observed, is not a rate raised annually, but only when occasion requires. These accounts were once published and deposited in the court house for public inspection; very few persons went to look at them and they have not been published since. Those who desire to know anything of the application of the rate raised for the erection or the repair of the court house, must now apply personally for the information to the treasurer. This was complained of. It appears however that the accounts are made up annually and copies of them were readily furnished to the Commissioner, who indeed experienced no difficulty in obtaining information of any kind from the offices of the corporation.

39. The Gaol is under the superintendence of the borough magistrates. It is occasionally visited by the magistrates; but the justices in session do not appoint visiting magistrates. It has been considerably enlarged during the summer of 1833; it was before very inadequate to the accommodation of the persons confined in it. It is, however, only designed for the detention of prisoners till their final commitment, when they are sent to the house of correction at Wakefield and brought back to Leeds for trial at the sessions. On conviction and imprisonment or imprisonment and hard labour, they return to Wakefield. Sometimes prisoners on criminal charges remain as long as a fortnight, waiting for evidence, before their final commitment. When they return from Wakefield to take their trial, they are seldom more than three or at the most four days; during these times the persons accused of various offences associate promiscuously and there are no means of separating boys from old and hardened criminals.

The magistrates have perceived the evil and avoid as much as possible committing boys to prison.
The prisoners are alike supported out of the county rate, during their stay in the gaol at Leeds and while confined in the house of correction at Wakefield.
The borough justices appoint the gaoler. He has a salary of £50 paid out of the county rate and certain advantages in being permitted to take money for the care and cleaning of the court house when used by the commissioners of bankrupt and for other public purposes.

40. The corporation has nothing to do with the management of the Poor. 41. The sole property of the of the corporation consists of £3,600 in the Three per cent, Consols and £500 lent to the trustees of the Leeds ad Wakefield Turnpike-road and secured by mortgage at 5%, producing together from the dividends and interest an income of £220.
This scanty revenue has been derived solely from the fines payable on refusal to serve the offices of the corporation. 42. The Corporation is unencumbered with any debt. 43. The Annual Expenditure of the corporation is about £160 consisting chiefly of salaries, rents of the corporation pews in the churches and clothes furnished to the inferior corporate officers.

None of the funds of the corporation have been applied to the support of particular candidates or principles, at elections. Various sums have been subscribed for public purposes; some of them of unquestionable utility. The corporation subscribed in 1798, to the voluntary contributions for the defence of the country £500. In 1821, during a prevalence of popular tumults, they contributed towards the erection of barracks, £824 2s 7d. Other advances they made for the good of the town; as in 1806, towards opening a new street, £400. In 1826 towards effecting a commutation of the vicarial tithes, £257 8s 3d.

44. The accounts of the Corporation are kept by a Treasurer, one of the aldermen appointed for hat purpose. The treasurer is an annual officer, elected on Michaelmas Day by the mayor, aldermen and assistants, or the major part of them. The treasurer's accounts are examined and audited by some of the aldermen selected for that purpose; of course privately.

45. The population of the borough consisted of, -

In 1821                                                 83,796
 In 1831                                                123,393
 It is said now (end of 1833)                           131,596
 Number of families employed in agriculture                 772
 Number of families employed in trade & manufactories   118,638
 Parochial or poor assessment for 1833                  £43,660.16s
 Annual value of real property                         £273,945.18s.7d
 Assessed taxes for the year 1833                       £12,914.13s.9d
 Number of houses:- Under 10l                            21,242
 Above 10l and under 20l                                  2,045
 Above 20l and under 30l                                  1,061
 40l and upwards                                            556
 Number of electors registered in 1833                    5,062
 

The state of trade of the borough is said to be highly favourable, and the town advancing in prosperity. There is no restriction whatever on trade in Leeds. Lands and buildings are depreciated from their former value in the same degree as in other places, but in no greater proportion, while the commercial prospects of the town are improving.

It is proper to state that, before my entering upon the inquiry at this place, a vote or resolution entered into at a court of mayor, aldermen and assistants of the borough was read by the town clerk.

The resolution after protesting against the legality of the commission and the power the Commissioners to compel the attendance of any members or officers of the corporation before them, proceeded to state, that nevertheless, as the commission had been issued under the King's authority, the court was disposed to pay all due respect to it, and did, in consequence order and instruct the town clerk to attend and answer the questions put to him.

The town clerk did attend and furnish all the information requested of him with the greatest readiness and in the most satisfactory manner. None of the governing body of the corporation of Leeds testified their respect for His Majesty's commission by their personal attendance at any period during the inquiry.

46. Annexed is a list of the Local Acts:

28 Geo.II c.xli. (1755) "An Act for enlightening the Streets and Lanes and regulating the Pavements in the Town of Leeds, in the County of York."
30 Geo.III.c.lxviii. (1790) "An Act for better supplying the Town and Neighbourhood of Leeds in the County of York, with Water, and for more efficiently lighting and cleansing the Streets and Other Places within the said Town and Neighbourhood and removing and preventing Nuisances, Annoyances, Encroachments and Obstructions therein."
49 Geo.III.c.xxii (1809) "An Act to amend and enlarge the powers of an Act passed in the thirtieth year of his present Majesty, for better supplying the Town and Neighbourhood of Leeds, in the County of York, with Water; and for more effectually lighting and cleansing the streets and other Places within the said Town and Neighbourhood and removing and preventing Nuisances and Annoyances therein, and for erecting a Court-House and Prison for the Borough of Leeds, and for widening and improving the Streets and Passages in the said Town.
55 Geo.III.c.xlii.(1815) "An Act to amend and enlarge the powers and provisions of an Act of his present Majesty, for erecting a Court-House and Prison for the Borough of Leeds in the County of York and for other purposes; to provide for the expense of of the prosecution of felons in certain cases and to establish a Police and Nightly watch in the Town, Borough and Neighbourhood of Leeds aforesaid."
5 Geo.IV.c.cxxiv."An Act for lighting, cleansing and improving the Town and Neighbourhood of Leeds, in the County of York."

47. Besides the Local Acts above mentioned, I have sent with this Report the following Documents:

1. The Governing Charter, 30 Charles II.
2. Return of the Names, Trades, Ages, Places of Residence and Dates of Election of Officers of this Corporation.
3. Tables of Fees of Clerks to Justices and clerks of Peace, with Allowance of Costs on Indictments.
4. Regulations of commissioners under Local Acts.
5. Watch Rate, Abstracts of Accounts of.
6. Court-House Rate, Abstract of Accounts of.

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