ACTON, municipal borough, Middlesex, England, suburban to London, 9m. W. of St. Paul's cathedral. Population (1861) 3,151; 37,744; (1931) 70,523. The best derivation offered for its name is from Oak-town ; in reference to the exten sive forest which formerly covered the locality. The land be longed from early times to the See of London, a grant being recorded in 1220. Henry III. had a residence here. At the time of the Commonwealth Acton was a centre of Puritanism. Philip Nye (d. 1672) was rector; Richard Baxter, Sir Matthew Hale (Lord Chief Justice), Henry Fielding the novelist and John Lindley the botanist (d. 1865) are famous names among residents here. Acton Wells, of saline waters, had considerable reputation in the 18th century. There are stations on the G.W.R., the L.M.S.R., the District and the C.L.R. Acton is governed by a mayor and corporation of 32 members. It was made a municipal borough in 1921. Area, 2,305 acres. It forms the Acton division of the parliamentary county of Middlesex (q.v.).