Middlesex

Lore & Background

Middlesex has its roots in the settlement of the Middle Saxons, a province that likely included much of Hertfordshire. The name means 'territory of the middle Saxons,' from Old English 'middel' and 'Seaxe.' The county is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as divided into six hundreds. The City of London became a self-governing county corporate in the twelfth century, though the sheriffs of London maintained jurisdiction in Middlesex. The Tower Division (Tower Hamlets) had considerable autonomy under its own Lord Lieutenant.

Reader's Guide

Middlesex is significant as one of the historic counties of England, its name preserving the legacy of the Middle Saxons. Its gradual absorption into Greater London, completed in 1965, reflects the immense growth of the metropolis. The county's governance history illustrates the tension between local administration and the expanding capital: the City of London remained separate, the Tower Division enjoyed autonomy, and the Metropolitan Board of Works and Metropolitan Police developed to manage the growing urban area. The creation of the administrative County of London in 1889 and the later formation of Greater London in 1965 effectively dissolved Middlesex as a distinct entity, though its name persists in postal addresses and historical references. The county's boundaries, defined by rivers and hills, shaped the development of London's suburbs.

Did You Know?

• Middlesex is the second smallest historic county in England, after Rutland.
• The name Middlesex means 'territory of the middle Saxons,' from Old English 'middel' and 'Seaxe'.
• The Tower Division (Tower Hamlets) had its own Lord Lieutenant, independent of the Lord Lieutenant of Middlesex.
• In 1889, about twenty per cent of Middlesex's area and a third of its population were transferred to the new administrative County of London.