The Last Mayor of Barnes
Councillor Alfred George Henry Lawrance JP Mayor of Barnes 1964-65
The Man Alfred George Henry Lawrance was born on 16th February 1913 in Hounslow, London and had one brother Percy and a sister Ena. Little is known about Alfred’s early life but during World War II he served in the Royal Navy and saw active service around the globe. Following the war he was instrumental in forming, and served on the Committee of the Barnes Royal Naval Association and ran a building and decorating business from his home at 13 Ashleigh Road, Mortlake, having moved to the area from Pimlico. During the third quarter of 1939 aged 26 he married Ivy Gladys Weller and they lived at Ashleigh Road having no children. Alfred was first elected as a Labour Councillor onto Barnes Town Council for the old Mortlake Town Ward during 1954, serving on the Civil Defence, Finance, General Purposes, Housing, Library and Public Health Committees. He had been a member of the Labour Party since his youth and was Chairman of the Mortlake Town Ward and later Leader of the Labour Group on the Council. On Wednesday 20th May 1964, in the Penrhyn Rooms, he was elected as the last Mayor of Barnes before its amalgamation into the Richmond Upon Thames Council following the London Government Act of 1963, whereupon he was re-elected to represent the new Mortlake Ward. He was proposed by Alderman E S Bolton, who said “I am sure that it is in the thoughts of us all today that this will be the last occasion on which we shall be meeting to elect one of our own ratepayers as Mayor of the Borough, and whatever our individual thoughts arguments, or reasoning relating to the reorganisation of local government in the Greater London area, we shall all feel very sad that this will be the last time we shall meet in the form we are meeting this afternoon” . He described Alfred Lawrance as “a man of very few words” He was seconded by Councillor F W M Moore who saud “Councillor Lawrance’s service in the Navy during the war had helped to mould a character which would be put to good service for the community. In the substantial volume of social work before him, Councillor Lawrance would have the full support of Mrs Lawrance”. In response Alfred promised to uphold the high traditions which had characterised the office of Mayor in Barnes, and went on to say “We have come to the last chapter in the short history of the borough and we can pause and look back at the line of men and women who had all made their contribution to the well-being of the borough” He also commented on the fact that he would have the shortest term of office as Mayor because the new Borough would come into existence six or seven weeks short of the full year.
Alfred George Henry Lawrance's Past Mayor's Jewel
During his term of office Alfred was made a Justice of the Peace at Mortlake Court and was a member of the Mortlake Crematorium Board, the London Electricity Board Consumers’ Council, a trustee of the Eleanor Bailey Educational Trust, Governor of a local Secondary School and on the Old Peoples Welfare Committee. A year later on Sunday 28th March Alfred headed the civic party at a service of thanksgiving for the Borough of Barnes at Mortlake Parish Church, and on Wednesday evening 31st March met with councillors and council officers for a wake to see out the old regime and welcome in the new at the Home Guard Association Club in Richmond Park Road. At 11.55pm Mr G Mills halted the proceedings and announced “Barnes is now in its death throes and will soon pass away. It is a sad moment for many of us. If the spirit which has pervaded amongst the council staff in Barnes, particularly in the post war years can be taken onto Twickenham, then all will be well.” As midnight struck and the Borough of Barnes and Alfred’s Mayorality came to an end, Mr Mills said “I give you the toast of the happy memories of Barnes and good wishes for the future” Auld Lang Syne was then sung. Alfred then pointed out that his term of office had just ended and praised the old council staff for their assistance and friendship. He was then driven home in the Mayoral Car for the final time by George Beech Mayor’s Chauffeur who parked her up in the Corporation Depot in Mortlake Road, where she became property of the new authority. Alfred continued representing Mortlake Ward on the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames until the municipal elections held on Thursday 9th May 1968 when he lost his seat together with all of his Labour colleagues, leaving the Conservatives with all 54 seats. Alfred died two years later, with Ivy at his side, on Monday 10th August 1970 at West Middlesex Hospital, Isleworth aged 57 following a heart attack and leaving £1043.00. He was cremated at Mortlake Crematorium on Monday 17th at 2.00pm and the service was attended by many of his colleagues from both the old Barnes Council and the new Richmond Upon Thames authority as well as former Mayors and members of the Labour Party. The service was officiated by the Reverend Stanley Smith.
Tributes paid to Alfred Lawrence Dr Tony Hart, chairman of
Richmond and Barnes Labour Party who said “We
will feel his loss keenly. He was a wise man, tolerant and kindly and a good
friend – especially to the older people for whom he worked continually. As a Councillor he was relentless in
following up the problems of the elderly or indeed anyone who was in
difficulty. He was a socialist through
and through, and in his selflessness, he bought honour to our movement”
The Mayor of Richmond Upon Thames Cllr Lewis Miller said “My wife and I were shocked to hear the news. We knew him as a charming man with a keen sense of humour”
Retired Alderman Edgar Bolton said “In his quiet way he made a huge contribution to easing the problem of housing, a subject which was one of his pet interests. His big asset was that he was an extremely good committee man”.
Leonard McNae secretary of Richmond Labour Party’s local government committee said “He was a resourceful leader of the Labour group on Barnes Council where his special interest was housing, and he was respected for many suggestions which resulted in increasing the limited supply of council dwellings in Barnes. He was good tempered and kindly in his dealings with everybody and these qualities made him a memorable man.”
Councillor Leslie Mason a Conservative Councillor who served with Alfred on both councils said “He was a really genuine chap who had decisive views , for which we all respected him”
The Mayor of Richmond Upon Thames Cllr Lewis Miller said “My wife and I were shocked to hear the news. We knew him as a charming man with a keen sense of humour”
Retired Alderman Edgar Bolton said “In his quiet way he made a huge contribution to easing the problem of housing, a subject which was one of his pet interests. His big asset was that he was an extremely good committee man”.
Leonard McNae secretary of Richmond Labour Party’s local government committee said “He was a resourceful leader of the Labour group on Barnes Council where his special interest was housing, and he was respected for many suggestions which resulted in increasing the limited supply of council dwellings in Barnes. He was good tempered and kindly in his dealings with everybody and these qualities made him a memorable man.”
Councillor Leslie Mason a Conservative Councillor who served with Alfred on both councils said “He was a really genuine chap who had decisive views , for which we all respected him”
The Story The Past Mayors Jewel awarded to Alfred George Henry Lawrance was acquired from E-Bay on 6th June 2014. It was of interest as with all Mayoral Jewels as research is usually straightforward. An e-mail was sent to the vendor asking if there was a buy it now price, and the initial response was “no – but make an offer if you wish”. An offer was made and instantly accepted! The initial research on the internet and Ancestry.com proved difficult and Alfred’s full name was discovered but it was only a guess that it was the correct person. Before finalising the research a call was made to the London Borough of Richmond Council who in turn suggested calling the Local Studies Library. This provided immediate results and within 20 minutes they had sent newspaper cuttings of Alfred’s obituaries in the local press which allowed a reasonably detailed biography to be prepared and in turn more detail to be gathered from ancestry.com. The press cuttings also contained the much sought after photograph of Alfred. A visit was made to Richmond Local Studies Library on Tuesday 23rd September 2014, and some useful interesting details extracted from the microfiche copies of the local Newspaper from 1964 and 65. The same day a visit was made to York House in Twickenham to undertake research on another Mayor, Katie Gent, only to discover that in the Council Chamber was a Past Mayors of Barnes roll of honour containing Alfred's name. A great additional touch.
Municipal Borough of Barnes
The district's coat of arms, granted in 1932, was: Azure a saltire or between four ostrich feathers argent two oars in saltire proper that to the dexter bladed dark blue and that to the sinister bladed light blue. The supporters were: Two griffins gules langued and armed azure, the dexter gorged with a collar flory or, charged with four crosses patée fitchy sable, the sinister gorged with a like collar charged with four lozenges, also sable. There was no crest. The oars belonged to the boat race teams of the University of Oxford (dark blue) and the University of Cambridge (light blue), whose course on the River Thames ran along the borough's northern border, finishing at Mortlake. The feathers were derived from the Prince of Wales at the time of the grant (later Edward VIII and Duke of Windsor) whose birthplace, White Lodge, lay in the former borough. The griffins were derived from the arms of the Earls Spencer, who were once lords of the manor of Mortlake. The crosses came from the arms of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who also once held the same manor, and the lozenges from the arms of the Bishop of Southwark, in whose diocese the borough was situated. The oars became part of the coat of arms of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, along with the red griffin supporters
Barnes was a local government district in north west Surrey from 1894 to 1965. It was formed as an urban district in 1894 and became a municipal borough in 1932. It contained the settlements of Barnes, Mortlake and East Sheen. It was part of the London postal district and Metropolitan Police District. The district was bounded by the County of London to the east, the River Thames and Middlesex to the north, and the Municipal Borough of Richmond to the west and south. In 1965 it was abolished and its former area became part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
To see a later Mayor of the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames, Banes successor authority (Councillor Katie Gent) Click here.
The district's coat of arms, granted in 1932, was: Azure a saltire or between four ostrich feathers argent two oars in saltire proper that to the dexter bladed dark blue and that to the sinister bladed light blue. The supporters were: Two griffins gules langued and armed azure, the dexter gorged with a collar flory or, charged with four crosses patée fitchy sable, the sinister gorged with a like collar charged with four lozenges, also sable. There was no crest. The oars belonged to the boat race teams of the University of Oxford (dark blue) and the University of Cambridge (light blue), whose course on the River Thames ran along the borough's northern border, finishing at Mortlake. The feathers were derived from the Prince of Wales at the time of the grant (later Edward VIII and Duke of Windsor) whose birthplace, White Lodge, lay in the former borough. The griffins were derived from the arms of the Earls Spencer, who were once lords of the manor of Mortlake. The crosses came from the arms of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who also once held the same manor, and the lozenges from the arms of the Bishop of Southwark, in whose diocese the borough was situated. The oars became part of the coat of arms of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, along with the red griffin supporters
Barnes was a local government district in north west Surrey from 1894 to 1965. It was formed as an urban district in 1894 and became a municipal borough in 1932. It contained the settlements of Barnes, Mortlake and East Sheen. It was part of the London postal district and Metropolitan Police District. The district was bounded by the County of London to the east, the River Thames and Middlesex to the north, and the Municipal Borough of Richmond to the west and south. In 1965 it was abolished and its former area became part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
To see a later Mayor of the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames, Banes successor authority (Councillor Katie Gent) Click here.
Jewel Details:
- Past Mayors Jewel: PRESENTED BY THE BARNES TOWN COUNCIL TO COUNCILLOR A G H LAWRANCE JP MAYOR 1964-1965.
This page last updated 13 Oct 14