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The volume ends mid-sentence, half way through a report on the state of the Town Hall. The remainder (slightly less than half the volume) is left blank.

Copy of PR1/10/2/1 but with large gaps

Croydon Improvement Commissioners were constituted by an 1829 'Act for lighting, watching and improving the Town of Croydon in the County of Surrey; for providing Lodgings for the judges at the Assizes holden in the same town and for other purposes relating thereto'. Twenty local people were appointed at a Public Vestry on 2nd June 1829, and the first meeting, at which the Vicar of Croydon was elected Chairman, was held on 11th June. The minutes of the Commissioners, which form a complete series, show their wide-ranging responsibilities. They provided lighting for Croydon's main streets, funded out of a specially levied rate, and organised the town's gas supply. They provided accomodation for Judges attending the Surrey Assizes, which were regularly held at Croydon, and were also responsible for the maintenance of law and order within the parish. They maintained the town gaol, and funded and equipped a small force of constables, headed by Superintendant of Police William Smith, until the formation of the Metropolitan Police Force in 1839. At various times, they also ran the local Fire Brigade, maintained public pavements and (at the meeting of 24th July 1829) compiled a list of street names, someof which were subsequently changed. During the 1840s, growing concern with public health was reflected in a growing number of compalints about open sewers, dung heaps and other public nuisances. In March 1848 the Commissioners were presented with a report on the sanitary condition of Croydon, which highlighted the lack of any proper sewerage or drainage system, and which resulted in the division of the parish into five sanitary districts, with a Commissioner appointed to each. Ultimately, however, the Commissioners were unable, or unwilling to instigate real change, and they were replaced by the Local Board of Health in 1849.

Church Buildings Rates - Under various Acts of Parliament, parishes were authorised to collect rates to pay for new church buildings. From 1828, Croydon collected rates to pay for two new chapels-of-ease, which opened in 1829: they eventually became the churches of All Saints, Upper Norwood, and St James, Croydon Common.\r\n\r\nChurch Rates - An Act of 1760/1 (1 Geo III) authorised the parish of Croydon to collect rates for repairing the parish church. A later Act of 1825 (6 Geo IV) authorised Croydon to collect rates to defray the expenses of the Churchwardens': these were also known as Church Rates.\r\n\r\nGeneral Purposes Rates - Under an Act of 1829 (10 Geo IV), Croydon was authorised to collect rates forlighting, watching and improving the town of Croydon . . . and for providing lodging for the judges at the Assizes . . . and for other purposes relating thereto'. These rates were sometimes known as Lighting Rates' until the late 1830s, and afterwards asGeneral Purposes Rates'. Only the town of Croydon (and not the outlying parts of the parish) appears to have been rated.\r\n\r\nHighways Rates - Croydon collected these rates under an Act of 1813/14 (54 Geo III), for the amendment and preservation of the public highways within England'.\r\n\r\nPoor Rates - Croydon was specifically authorised to collect these under an Act of 1825 (6 Geo IV), forbetter collecting and assessing the Poor and other Parochial rates in the parish of Croydon'.

Early part missing

8 assessments have been bound into one volume:\r\nJan 1745/6 Poor Rate [part missing]\r\nJuly 1746 Poor Rate\r\nDec 1746 Poor Rate\r\nJuly 1747 Poor Rate\r\nJan 1747/8 Poor Rate\r\nJune 1748 Poor Rate\r\nJan 1748/9 Poor Rate\r\nFeb 1749/50 Poor Rate\r\nThese were originally received in 1953 as individual sheets or with only slight traces of folds, and in no order. They were built up into a single volume, taking into account tears and folds, and checked according to the rateable value and the amount paid.