Swansea's local Acts of Parliament 1850 to 1861
| The statutes give a vivid impression of the concerns of the more
affluent members of the community. Early Acts deal with land management such as the
enclosure of the Town Hill or the disposal of some of the extensive estates of the Duke of
Beaufort. Roads canals and railways feature heavily, particularly as the Industrial
Revolution begins to have an impact locally in the late 1700s. Note the appearance of the
Mumbles Railway on the guise of a tramway Act in 1804, and the arrival of the Mumbles Pier
as part of a railway Act in 1865. Various Acts for improving the harbour give some indication of the difficulties faced by the Swansea Harbour Trust as it tried to introduce improvements into the area. The dramatic changes to the harbour area are reflected in the glut of harbour Acts in the 1850s and 1860s, culminating in the creation of Swansea Docks in the late 1850s. Also apparent are the various measures taken to improve the general state of the town with market, water and gas Acts at various times from the early 1800s. |
Short Title |
Statute |
Year |
| Local Act for enabling the Town Council of Swansea to take shares in the Dock Company there. | 13 & 14 Vict., c.41 | 1850 |
| Dock Act for extending the time for the completion of the South Docks at Swansea. | 13 & 14 Vict., c.47 | 1850 |
| General Act for confirming certain Provisional orders relating to (with others) the Town of Swansea, issued by the General Board of Health. | 13 & 14 Vict., c.90 | 1850 |
| Water Act for enabling the Local Board of Health at Swansea to construct Water and other works necessary thereto. | 16 & 17 Vict., c.161 | 1852 |
| Harbour Act for the repeal of all former Acts, and for the Conservancy and further improvement of Swansea Harbour. | 17 & 18 Vict., c.126 | 1854 |
| Dock Act for arranging the Capital of the Swansea Dock Company. | 18 & 19 Vict., c.58 | 1855 |
| Railway Act for enabling the Swansea Vale Railway Company to carry passengers and extend their Railroad. | 18 & 19 Vict., c.60 | 1855 |
| Harbour Act for transferring the Swansea Docks to the Harbour Trustees, and authorising the construction of a Railroad by them continuously with the South Wales Railway. | 20 & 21 Vict., c.142 | 1857 |
| General Act for abolishing Franchise Prisons in Swansea Castle and in other places named. | 21 Vict., c.22 | 1858 |
| Harbour Act for extending the time limited for the Completion of the Works authorised by the Act of 1854. | 22 & 23 Vict., c.47 | 1859 |
| Harbour Act for the further extending of the time authorised for the Completion of the Works in Swansea Harbour. | 23 & 24 Vict., c.135 | 1860 |
| Water Act for the Local Board of Health to construct an improved system of Waterworks for the Town of Swansea. | 23 & 24 Vict., c.148 | 1860 |
| Gas Act for the better lighting of the Borough of Swansea and its neighbourhood. | 24 & 25 Vict., c.41 | 1861 |
| Railway Act for authorising the Llanelly Railway and Dock Company to extend their lines to Swansea, Penclawdd in Gower, and Carmarthen. | 24 & 25 Vict., c.217 | 1861 |
| Harbour Act for authorising the raising of a further sum of money for the necessary Works in the port of Swansea. | 24 & 25 Vict., c.222 | 1861 |
| Railway Act for authorising the construction of a Railroad between the Towns of Swansea and Neath. | 24 & 25 Vict., c.242 |
1861 |
| Move on to later Acts of Parliament |