Hitchin Rural District was a rural district in Hertfordshire, England from 1894 to 1974, covering an area in the north of the county.
Evolution The district had its origins in the Hitchin Rural Sanitary District. This had been created under the Public Health Acts of 1872 and 1875, giving public health and local government responsibilities for rural areas to the existing boards of guardians of poor law unions. The Hitchin Rural Sanitary District covered the area of the Hitchin Poor Law Union excluding the towns of Hitchin, Baldock, and Stevenage.
Under the Local Government Act 1894, rural sanitary districts became rural districts from 28 December 1894. The link with the poor law union continued, with all the elected councillors of the rural district council being ex officio members of the Hitchin Board of Guardians. The first meeting of the new council was held on 8 January 1895, immediately after a meeting of the board of guardians. The first chairman of the council was Joseph Neville Hine (who was known by his middle name), a Conservative. He would hold the role of chairman for over 23 years.Hertfordshire Archives Catalogue, Hitchin Rural District Council Minutes 16 November 1886 to 5 December 1899: Started as Hitchin Rural Sanitary Authority but changed to Rural District Council on 8 January 1895, Reference RDC/10/13/1Hitchin, Luton Times, 11 January 1895, page 5Letchworth Granted Urban Powers, Hertford Mercury, 30 March 1918, page 4Newnham: Death of Mr. Neville J. Hine, J.P., Biggleswade Chronicle, 9 January 1931, page 5
The Local Government Act 1894 also directed that the new rural districts should be only in one county. Where rural sanitary districts straddled county boundaries, as Hitchin Rural Sanitary District did, they should be split into separate rural districts in each county, or otherwise boundary amendments should be made. Most of Hitchin Rural Sanitary District was in Hertfordshire, but the single parish of Holwell was in Bedfordshire. The Local Government Board agreed to allow the new Hitchin Rural District to initially straddle Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. This anomaly was resolved when Holwell was transferred to Hertfordshire on 30 September 1897, and thereafter Hitchin Rural District was entirely in Hertfordshire.London Gazette, 3 September 1897, page 4946
In 1903 work began on the new town of Letchworth Garden City. It straddled the three parishes of Letchworth, Norton, and Willian, all of which were in Hitchin Rural District. Much of the early development of the garden city was therefore carried out under the byelaws and supervision of Hitchin Rural District Council. Letchworth parish was enlarged in 1908, when Norton parish was abolished and the northern part of Willian parish was transferred to Letchworth parish. The enlarged Letchworth parish remained part of Hitchin Rural District at that time. Letchworth was eventually removed from Hitchin Rural District in 1919, when it became Letchworth Urban District.The County of Hertford (Letchworth UD) Confirmation Order, 1919 (No. 64963)
In 1921 Hitchin Rural District ceded the parish of Walsworth to Hitchin Urban District.The County of Hertford (Hitchin UD) Confirmation Order, 1921 (No. 66416)
Hitchin Rural District was substantially enlarged in 1935 when the neighbouring rural districts of Ashwell and Buntingford were abolished. A small area from Ashwell Rural District was given to Royston Urban District but the remainder became part of Hitchin Rural District, as did the three parishes of Sandon, Rushden, and Wallington from Buntingford Rural District. The parish of Willian was ceded to Letchworth Urban District at the same time.Ministry of Health Order No. 80108, The County of Hertford Review Order, 1935
In 1953 the parish of Shephall was ceded to Stevenage Urban District, along with parts of the parishes of Graveley, Knebworth and Wymondley, reflecting the ongoing growth of Stevenage, which had been designated as a new town in 1946.Ministry of Housing and Local Government Order No. 3452. The County of Hertford (Stevenage UD and Hertford and Hitchin RDs) Confirmation Order, 1953
Parishes Hitchin Rural District contained the following civil parishes. Parish From To Notes Ashwell 1935 1974 From Ashwell Rural District. Barkway 1935 1974 From Ashwell Rural District. Barley 1935 1974 From Ashwell Rural District. Bygrave 1894 1974 Caldecote 1894 1974 Clothall 1894 1974 Codicote 1894 1974 Graveley 1894 1974 Great Wymondley 1894 1937 Merged with Little Wymondley to become Wymondley parish.Ministry of Health Order No. 88230, The County of Hertford (Wymondley Parish) Confirmation Order, 1937 Hexton 1894 1974 Hinxworth 1935 1974 From Ashwell Rural District. Holwell 1894 1974 In Bedfordshire until 1897. Ickleford 1894 1974 Kelshall 1935 1974 From Ashwell Rural District. Kimpton 1894 1974 King's Walden 1894 1974 Knebworth 1894 1974 Langley 1894 1974 Letchworth 1894 1919 Became Letchworth Urban District. Lilley 1894 1974 Little Wymondley 1894 1937 Merged with Great Wymondley to become Wymondley parish. Newnham 1894 1974 Norton 1894 1908 Parish abolished to become part of Letchworth. Nuthampstead 1935 1974 From Ashwell Rural District. Offley 1894 1974 Pirton 1894 1974 Preston 1894 1974 Radwell 1894 1974 Reed 1935 1974 From Ashwell Rural District. Rushden 1935 1974 From Buntingford Rural District. St Ippolyts 1894 1974 St Paul's Walden 1894 1974 Sandon 1935 1974 From Buntingford Rural District. Shephall 1894 1953 Parish abolished to become part of Stevenage Urban District. Therfield 1935 1974 From Ashwell Rural District. Wallington 1935 1974 From Buntingford Rural District. Walsworth 1894 1921 Parish abolished to become part of Hitchin Urban District. Weston 1894 1974 Willian 1894 1935 Northern part of parish given to Letchworth parish 1908. Parish abolished 1935 to become part of Letchworth Urban District. Wymondley 1937 1974 Created from merger of Great Wymondley and Little Wymondley parishes.
Premises Hitchin Rural District Council did not have purpose-built offices of its own. Meetings were held at the board room at Hitchin Workhouse or at Hitchin Town Hall in the early years, with administrative office functions being carried out at 5 Bancroft and 9 Bancroft in Hitchin, which were the offices of the solicitor who acted as clerk to the council.Hitchin Rural District Council, Luton Reporter, 2 September 1909, page 1Hitchin Rural District Council, Luton Reporter, 4 July 1922, page 1
From the 1930s to the early 1960s the council was based at 21 Bancroft in Hitchin.Hitchin Rural District Council, Hertford Mercury, 12 May 1939, page 10London Gazette, 11 March 1960, page 1828 Around 1961 the council took over the former Society of Friends' Meeting House at the junction of Grammar School Walk and Bedford Road in Hitchin, which the Society had recently vacated following the construction of their new meeting house on the opposite side of Bedford Road. The old meeting house became known as the Rural District Council Offices, and was substantially extended.Telephone Directory, General Post Office, August 1961
Abolition Hitchin Rural District was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, merging with the urban districts of Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock, and Royston on 1 April 1974 to form the new district of North Hertfordshire. The Grammar School Walk building continued to be used as council offices, initially by North Hertfordshire District Council, then by Hertfordshire County Council. The building was later renamed Centenary House.
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