The borough was formed by the London Government Act 1899 from the civil parishes of Lee from the Lee District and Lewisham from the Lewisham District. The borough also took in a small area formerly administered by Camberwell Vestry on the western slopes of Forest Hill. While there had been minor industry along the River Ravensbourne for centuries and the extension of the railways had seen suburban development, there were still large areas of farmland at the time of the borough's formation. The next London property boom in the 1930s saw much of that farmland built upon with both private estates, and the final gaps on the roads to Kent were filled in later on with London County Council built social housing, particularly in Downham and Bellingham.
The area of the borough was. The population, as recorded at the census, was: Constituent parishes 1801-1899
Year
1801
1811
1821
1831
1841
1851
1861
1871
1881
1891
Population
4,383
7,137
8,922
10,767
14,636
18,616
28,970
47,018
67,500
88,653
Metropolitan Borough 1900-1961
Year
1901
1911
1921
1931
1941
1951
1961
Population
127,495
160,834
174,194
219,953
227,576
221,753
Coat of arms
When the borough was created in 1900, a committee was appointed to design a coat of arms. This device, adopted in the following year, included a shield, crest, supporters and motto. The shield had four quarters. The first quarter had the attributed arms of King Alfred, first lord of the manor. The second quarter showed a white on red horse, the arms associated with Kent. The Lewisham area was part of Kent until 1889. The third quarter showed a buck's head, from the arms of the Earl of Dartmouth, lord of the manor of Lewisham in 1901. The fourth quarter featured a bear's head and fesse or horizontal band, from the arms of Lord Northbrook, lord of the manor of Lee in 1901. The crest was a raven, representing the Ravensbourne river. The supporters were a silver buck sprinkled with red stars and a bear with a gold portcullis on his shoulder. These were also derived from the arms of the Earl of Dartmouth and Lord Northbrook respectively. The Latin motto was Salus Populi Suprema Lex, or "the welfare of the people is the highest law" - a motto common to many English municipalities. In 1950, in celebration of the borough's golden jubilee, a grant of arms was obtained from the College of Arms. The shield was greatly simplified: A Saxon crown and golden lion recalled the association of King Alfred with the area. The background of three colours recalled the three main areas of the borough: green for Lee Green, purple for Hither Green and black for Blackheath. The raven crest was retained, with the addition of a silver and blue wave for the Ravensbourne. The 1901 supporters were altered to make them unique to the borough. Around their necks were placed mural crowns, representative of local government. The motto was not changed, and was continued in use by the London Borough of Lewisham in 1965.
Politics
The borough was divided into ten wards for elections: Blackheath, Brockley, Catford, Church, Forest Hill, Lewisham Park, Lewisham Village, Manor, South and Sydenham.
