History of the Mayoralty in Stafford

The establishment of the mayoralty in Stafford was a defining milestone in the town's civic evolution, marking its transition from medieval bailiff rule to a formalized corporate borough. Although Stafford had functioned as an administrative center since Anglo-Saxon times and received its first royal borough charter from King John in 1206, the official office of Mayor was not created until the early seventeenth century. In 1614, King James I granted a charter of incorporation that replaced the traditional governance of two bailiffs with a council led by a single chief magistrate: the Mayor of Stafford.

Early Governance Under Bailiffs

Before the creation of the mayoralty, Stafford operated under the provisions of King John’s 1206 charter. This charter made Stafford a free borough, allowing its burgesses to hold property, trade without paying certain tolls, and manage local courts.

Executive authority during this medieval period rested with two elected bailiffs, assisted by a group of senior burgesses. While this system provided local autonomy for centuries, the growth of the town’s economy and population by the late Tudor era made a more unified and centralized civic authority necessary.

The 1614 Charter of James I

The mayoralty was officially instituted on September 6, 1614, when King James I granted Stafford a formal charter of incorporation. The royal charter reconstituted the local government to secure greater legal stability, improve law enforcement, and formalize trade regulations.

Under the 1614 charter:

• The office of bailiff was abolished in favor of a single Mayor.
• The governing body became the Common Council, composed of the Mayor, ten aldermen, and ten capital burgesses.
• Matthew Cradock, a prominent local merchant, was appointed as the first Mayor of Stafford.

The Mayor served as the town's chief executive officer, the keeper of the peace, and the presiding officer over borough courts, including the Court of Record. The office also held authority as clerk of the market, overseeing weights, measures, and fair commerce within the borough boundaries.

Evolution Through the 19th and 20th Centuries

The structure established in 1614 remained largely in place until the passage of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. This nationwide legislation reformed closed town councils, eliminating self-electing oligarchies in favor of councils elected by rate-paying citizens. In Stafford, the act preserved the mayoralty while establishing a more transparent system where the Mayor was elected annually by the newly reformed council.

Further change came with the Local Government Act 1972, which took effect in 1974. The historic Municipal Borough of Stafford was merged with neighboring rural districts to create the modern Stafford Borough. Through royal letters patent, borough status and the civic traditions of the mayoralty were transferred to the new, expanded council, preserving the historic office of Mayor as Stafford's non-political, ceremonial first citizen.