[2] It had a border with Leyton Urban District (a municipal borough from 1926) in Essex to the east and to the north, from which it was divided by Hackney Marshes.

The metropolitan borough included the districts of Hackney, Upper and Lower Clapton, Homerton, Dalston and Kingsland.

Under the Metropolis Management Act 1855 any parish that exceeded 2,000 ratepayers was to be divided into wards; as such the parish of St John at Hackney within the Hackney District Board of Works was divided into seven wards (electing vestrymen): No.

In 1894 as its population had increased the incorporated vestry was re-divided into eight wards (electing vestrymen): Stamford Hill (15), West (18), Kingsland (12), Hackney (12), Mare Street (15), South (15), Clapton (12) and Homerton (21).

[9][10] The London Government Act 1899 replaced the incorporated vestries with borough councils consisting of a mayor, aldermen and councillors.

[14] The Progressives regained the council in 1909 with a narrow majority, losing power to the Municipal Reform party again in 1912.

[16] At the next elections in 1922 a "Progressive Reform" anti-Labour alliance won all seats on the council, and held them at the subsequent polls in 1925.

[20] In 1937 the borough's ward boundaries were redrawn: sixteen wards were created (Chatham, Culford, Dalston, Downs, Graham, Leaside, Marsh, Maury, Park, Ridley, Southwold, Springfield, Stamford, Town Hall, Tudor and Wick), each represented by three councillors.

[23] For elections to Parliament, the borough was divided into three constituencies: In 1950 the borough's representation was reduced to one and a half seats, when part of it was merged with Stoke Newington: In 1955 the borough's representation was reduced to one and two half seats, when another part of it was merged with Bethnal Green: The seal of the Hackney Vestry bore a representation of St Augustine's Tower, the remains of the 13th-century parish church.

When the metropolitan borough was formed in 1900, the vestry seal was altered by the addition of the Latin motto Justitia Turris Nostra or Justice is our tower.

[24] In January 1924 the borough council resolved to seek a formal grant of armorial bearings from the College of Arms.

[24][25] The "Hackney Tower" appeared in the upper portion of the shield, and formed the crest, placed on a helm and mantling.

The wavy white and blue bars at the base of the shield represented the River Lea and the many canals crossing the borough.

The borough council was initially based in a "French-Italian" style town hall in Hackney Grove, dating from 1866.