the city of manchester experienced rapid growth during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the existing administrative bodies were not equipped to deal with such expansion. the area was managed by the court leet, which was responsible for all administration and judicial functions. in 1792, the manchester and salford police act led to the establishment of a day and night watch. the night watch was mainly a guard against fire. at that time the word police was used to mean administration, rather than the handling of law and order. a group of police commissioners were established to manage cleansing and water supply. in 1797, this was formalised, by creating separate commissioners for salford and for manchester. the municipal corporations act 1835 paved the way for borough councils to be established, with ratepayers electing their members. a petition to create such a council for manchester was organised by two industrialists, richard cobden and thomas potter, but this was resisted by both the court leet and the police commissioners, who stood to lose some of their powers.