Constitutional records of Bath City Council and Bath and North East Somerset Council:...

The records in this sub-fonds are the documents which give the Corporation or Council specific powers, rights and responsibilities and define the area within which these powers and responsibilities are to be exercised. Without these documents, the authority would not exist.

From 1189 until 1835, the borough of Bath existed by virtue of a series of charters granted and confirmed by the Crown. These charters gave citizens certain rights and privileges, exempted them from certain tolls and obligations, and allowed them to hold courts and administer justice. The charter of 1590 set out in detail how the city was to be administered by the corporation, although it formalised existing practice rather than establishing new systems. The main focus of the charters was on giving the tradesmen and merchants of the borough the power and privileges which would enable them to carry on their businesses as profitably as possible. At this period, there was no concept of a borough as responsible for the general well-being of its inhabitants.

The Municipal Corporations Act abolished boroughs founded by royal charters, replacing them with boroughs established by authority of the Act. The Act set out the rights and responsibilities of the new municipal boroughs, and provided for a more democratic method of election of councillors, who were to be elected by all ratepayers. Subsequent Acts of Parliament substantially revised and extended the 1835 Act, giving the council an enormous range of responsibilities touching on all aspects of the lives of the local inhabitants. Some of these Acts were general, applying to all boroughs (such as the Local Government Act of 1888), while others, such as the Bath Act of 1925, were specific to Bath.

The area covered by the council expanded enormously over the nine centuries covered by the records. The area was defined in some of the Charters, and then in the Bath-specific Acts; new Acts were required to alter the boundaries.

The records in this sub-fonds are arranged as follows:

Bath City charters, 1189-1974

Acts of Parliament: national Acts affecting Bath, local Acts and Orders promoted by the Council, and local Bath Acts relating indirectly to the Council, 1835-c.1974

Papers relating to Acts of Parliament (including papers relating to the Municipal Corporations Act, Bath Acts of 1925 and 1937, boundary changes, 1911 and 1950, and local government reorganisations of 1970s and 1990s)

The records have not yet been catalogued in detail. Please contact the Record Office for more information.