and Eramosa were withdrawn from Halton and transferred to it, to be known as Waterloo County. Upon the passage of the Act of Union 1840, for electoral purposes Halton became two ridings for electing members to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada: East Riding: the townships of Trafalgar, Nelson, Esquesing, Nassagaweya, East Flamborough, West Flamborough, Erin and Beverley. West Riding: the townships of Garafraxa, Nichol, Woolwich, Guelph, Waterloo, Wilmot, Dumfries, Puslinch and Eramosa. When the East and West Ridings were renamed for their respective counties in 1845, the township of Erin continued to be part of Halton for electoral purposes. When the Gore District was abolished in 1850, the township of Erin was fully withdrawn and Halton County was united with Wentworth County to form the United Counties of Wentworth and Halton. As a result of a territorial reorganization in 1851, Halton County was reduced in size, with only the townships of Esquesing, Trafalgar, Nassageweya and Nelson remaining, and the union of counties was abolished in 1854. As settlement progressed, several urban areas developed and were organized into separate villages and towns: Acton: incorporated as a village in 1874, and erected into a town in 1950. Bronte: incorporated as a village in 1952. Burlington: incorporated as a village in 1872, and erected into a town in 1915. Georgetown: incorporated as a village in 1864, and erected into a town in 1921. Milton: incorporated as a town in 1857. Oakville: incorporated as a town in 1857. In 1861, the County population was about 22,794. In 1958, Burlington amalgamated with the township of Nelson and annexed part of the township of East Flamborough. Oakville did the same in 1962, through amalgamation with Bronte and the township of Trafalgar. As a consequence, special legislation was passed to provide that votes of members of the county council were to be allocated according to the populations of the respective municipalities, provided that the combined number of votes for Burlington and Oakville would not be greater than the total votes allocated to the remaining municipalities. In 1974, Halton County was replaced by the Regional Municipality of Halton. See also List of Ontario census divisions List of townships in Ontario References Further reading External links Esquesing Historical Society Halton Images 1951 map of Halton County Former counties in Ontario 1816 establishments in Canada History of the Regional Municipality of Halton Populated places disestablished in 1974