County Borough of West Ham
| West Ham (County Borough) | |
|---|---|
 West Ham Town Hall, Stratford |
|
 West Ham within Essex in 1961 |
|
| Area | |
| • 1861 | 4,667 acres (18.9 km2) |
| • 1911 | 4,683 acres (19.0 km2) |
| • 1931/1961 | 4,689 acres (19.0 km2) |
| Population | |
| • 1861 | 38,331 |
| • 1911 | 289,030 |
| • 1931 | 294,278 |
| • 1961 | 157,367 |
| Density | |
| • 1861 | 8/acre |
| • 1911 | 62/acre |
| • 1931 | 63/acre |
| • 1961 | 34/acre |
| History | |
| • Origin | West Ham ancient parish |
| • Created | 1856 |
| • Abolished | 1965 |
| • Succeeded by | London Borough of Newham |
| Status |
Civil parish (until 1965) Local board of health district (1856–1886) Municipal borough (1886–1889) County borough (1889–1965) |
| Government | West Ham Local Board (1856–1886) West Ham Borough Council (1886–1965) |
| • HQ | Town Hall, Broadway, Stratford (1869–1965) |
| • Motto | Deo Confidimus (We trust in God) |
 Arms of the county borough corporation |
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West Ham is an area of East London which lies within the traditional boundaries of the county of Essex and now forms the western part of the modern London Borough of Newham.
West Ham was formed when the older territory of Ham was split in two in the 12th century. Originally a Parish, and ultimately a County Borough, West Ham was an administrative unit, with largely consistent boundaries, from the 12th century to the formation of Newham in 1965.
The area lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea. It includes the districts of Stratford, Plaistow, Canning Town, Silvertown and Custom House; while the districts of Forest Gate and Upton Park straddle the Green Street boundary of West and East Ham.
West Ham appears to have been formed after a sub-division of the larger ‘Hamme’ territory sometime in the 12th century,
A settlement in the area named Ham is first recorded as Hamme in an Anglo-Saxon charter of 958 and then in the 1086 Domesday Book as Hame. It is formed from Old English 'hamm' and means 'a dry area of land between rivers or marshland', referring to the location of the settlement within boundaries formed by the rivers Lea, Thames and Roding and their marshes.
These natural boundaries suggest that Little Ilford and North Woolwich are likely to have been part of Ham(m).
The earliest recorded use of West Ham, as distinct from East Ham, is in 1186 as Westhamma. It could be speculated that the partition arose as a result of population increase resulting from economic prosperity delivered by the construction of Bow Bridge over the Lea and the creation of Stratford Langthorne Abbey
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Wikipedia