As the legends goes, the place Shillong was named after a beautiful youth named 'Shyllong' born to a virgin mother in a village near Bisi. This boy Shyllong later came to be regarded as the local deity after whom the place was named as Shillong. The Shillong Municipal Board has a long history dating back since 1878, when a proclamation was issued constituting Shillong and its suburbs, including the villages of Mawkhar and Laban, into a station under the Bengal Municipal Act of 1876. Inclusion of the villages of Mawkhar (S.E. Mawkhar, Jaiaw and part of Jhalupara and Mawprem) and Laban (Lumparing, Madan laban, Kench’s Trace and Rilbong) within the Municipality of Shillong was agreed by Hain Manik Syiem of Mylliem under the agreement of 15 November 1878.[6] Although, there is no trace of Shillong in the British Era maps dated back to 1878-1900. Shillong was also the subject of the great earthquake that occurred on June 12, 1879. The earthquake had an estimated moment magnitude of 8.1. 27 lives from Shillong were lost.