Legal Definition and Related Resources of Borough

In the old sense of the word, borough is “an ancient towne, holden of the king or any other lord, which sendeth burgesses to the parliament.” Litt. § 164; Co. Litt. 109a. Many of these boroughs, however, having been disfranchised in moaern times, are now only boroughs to this extent, that the land within them is held by tenure in burgage or subject to the custom of borough English q.v.) At the present day, “borough” almost always means either a borough corporate, or municipal borough, or a parliamentary borough (see 1 Bl. Comm. 115; 1 Steph. Comm. 125), most, if not all, municipal boroughs being also parliamentary.. A parliamentary borough is a town which returns one or more members to parliament. See Parliamentary and Municipal Registration Act 1878, § 4. Some of these towns are ancient boroughs; others are towns on which the right of returning members has been conferred by statute. St. 2 Wm. IV. c. 45; 30 & 31 Vict. c. 102. In Scotch Law. A corporation organized under a royal charter. Bell, Diet. In American Law. The word la little used. In Pennsylvania and Connecticut, however, it is in common use, and denotes an incorporated town or village. Bright. Purd. Dig. 115; 23 Conn. 128. Borough, lynonymous with “town.” 1 Bl. Comm. 114. Borough, synonymous with “village.” 18 Ohio St. 496,

What does Borough mean in American Law?

The definition of Borough in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

In England, originally a fortified town or castle, the term came to refer to a town entitled to send a representative to Parliament (see also rotten borough). After 1890, the term came not only to cover these “parliamentary boroughs,” but also incorporated towns and cities given certain powers of internal self government, called more completely “municipal boroughs.” By statute effective in 1974, all of these boroughs (except in London and the Scilly Isles) ceased to exist.

In the U.S., “borough” is sometimes used to designate a town with a municipal charter and powers, but the most famous are the five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Richmond, and the Bronx) that comprise New York City. They retain as such some small vestiges of political function and power, and each is also a county (in which avatar, however, Manhattan is called “New York County,” and Brooklyn is “Kings County”).

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This definition of Borough Is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This entry needs to be proofread.

Vocabularies (Semantic Web Information)

Borough in the Dictionary of Law consisting of Judicial Definitions and Explanations of Words, Phrases and Maxims

A town, whether incorporated or not, that send burgesses to parliament. 1 Bl. Com. 114; 2 id. 82; 41 Mo. 175. In the United States, not exclusively used with any precise meaning. Borough and village may be duplicate names for the same thing. 18 Ohio St. 507 (1869).

Note: This legal definition of Borough in the Dictionary of Law (English and American Jurisprudence) is from 1893.

Borough in Law Enforcement

Main Entry: Law Enforcement in the Legal Dictionary. This section provides, in the context of Law Enforcement, a partial definition of borough.

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See Also

• Law Enforcement Officer
• Police Officer
• Law Enforcement Agency

Further Reading

• borough in A Dictionary of Law Enforcement (Oxford University Press)
• borough in the Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement
• A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis

English Legal System: Borough

In the context of the English law, A Dictionary of Law provides the following legal concept of Borough :

An area of local government, abolished as such (except in *Greater London) by the Local Government Act 1972. A *district may, however, be styled a borough by royal charter. Originally, a borough was a fortified town; later, a town entitled to send a representative to Parliament.

Concept of Borough in the context of Real Property

A short definition of Borough: A part of a city, having authority over certain local matters. The best known boroughs are the five boroughs of New York City.

Concept of Borough in the context of Real Property

A short definition of Borough: A part of a city, having authority over certain local matters. The best known boroughs are the five boroughs of New York City.

Concept of “Borough, Burg, Bourg”

Traditional meaning of borough, burg, bourg in the French law history (with some legal use in England and the United States in the XIX Century) [1]: (in French) A walled town; a town sending a burgess to Parliament. Later, a political division, organized for municipal purposes; see 23 Conn. 128. Borough-court: see the entry on types of courts, 35, 57. Borough English. A custom of burgage tenure, prevailing in some old English boroughs or manors, whereby land descended to the young est son, instead of the eldest.

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Notes and References

1. Based on A Concise Law Dictionary of Words, Phrases and Maxims, “Borough, Burg, Bourg”, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1911, United States. It is also called the Stimson’s Law dictionary. This term and/or definition may be absolete.

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