History of the Mayor
The earliest record of a Mayor and officers for Walsall occurs in 1377. By the mid fifteenth century the mayor alone was responsible for admitting new burgesses. From at least the late 1490s the Mayor accounted annually for the admission fees which he received from new burgesses. An ordinance of about 1500 refers to the high steward, the Mayor and a council of twenty-five, subsequently twenty-four. An ordinance of 1501-2 insisted upon annual accounting by the retiring mayor. A set of ordinances from between 1510 and 1520 refer to the appointment of the mayor and other officers at the manor court. There was to be a meeting of the burgesses probably once a year to assist the mayor and officers in the governing of the town. During the fifteenth century the guild of St. John the Baptist became involved in the government of the town. The guildhall became the Town Hall.
At first most of the borough's income came from fines and admission fees but there was a town estate by 1626. Part of it was at Bascote, Long Itchington, Warwickshire. This was not finally sold until 1918. In the early seventeenth century the borough claimed to be a borough by prescription. However disputes with the Lord of the Manor suggested the need for a formal charter. This was acquired in 1627 after the borough was bequeathed the money to pay for it. The charter appointed mayor and twenty-four capital burgesses. The Mayor was to be elected from among the twenty-four annually and the twenty-four were to be self-perpetuating. There was provision for a deputy mayor. The mayor could appoint and swear two serjeants-at-mace. The mayor and others were to act as justices of the peace. Further ordinances in 1647 dealt with the election of the mayor and penalties for mayors who refused to serve or did not present their accounts. During the Civil War one mayor bought off the royalist princes Rupert and Maurice when they sought aid for the King and another mayor put the King's officers in prison when they came to recruit.
In 1680-81 there was a crisis because the mayor in 1680 due to illness dispersed the Michaelmas meeting of the capital burgesses before a successor was chosen. He remained mayor but did not act. A new charter was sought but not obtained partly due to disputes in the town. Finally in 1688 the 1627 charter was restored and remained in force until 1835. During the eighteenth century it was difficult to find people to serve as mayor or members of the corporation. This was due to an increase in administrative duties and their cost. However entertainment became more lavish. The then mayors failed to deal with rioting in the town in 1749 and 1751. In 1793 the mayor only acted after a threat of proceedings against him.
The mayor was one of the improvement commissioners established under an act of 1824. Under the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act a new borough was established with aldermen and elected councillors. There was a mayor, town clerk and treasurer. From then onwards the mayor's office became more of a ceremonial post rather than the leader of the council. The guild hall is said to have been rebuilt about 1773. By the end of the eighteenth century it included a mayor's parlour. There was a mayor's parlour also after the rebuilding of 1865-7. The present council house was built 1902-5.