Gloucester was, from 1894 to 1974, a rural district in the administrative county of Gloucestershire, England.www.visionofbritain.org.uk The district did not include the City of Gloucester, which was a separate county borough. In 1935, Gloucester RD was more than doubled in size.
Formation The Rural District was created by the Local Government Act 1894 as successor to Gloucester Rural Sanitary District. It was governed by a directly elected Rural District Council (RDC), which replaced the Rural Sanitary Authority that had comprised the poor law guardians for the area.
Boundary Changes Under the Local Government Act 1929 County Councils were given the duty of reviewing all urban and rural districts within their area. In Gloucestershire, there were a number of very small districts, and under the County of Gloucester Review Order 1935, Gloucester RD was enlarged by the transfer of the whole or parts of five abolished districts.
Between 1951 and 1967, a number of suburban areas adjacent to Gloucester were removed from the Rural District, when the city boundary was expanded.
Parishes The district comprised the following civil parishes: ParishNotes Arlingham Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935. Ashleworth Barnwood Abolished in 1967 with most of area passing to Gloucester County Borough Brockworth Brookthorpe, renamed Brookthorpe with Whaddon 1956 Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935. Chaceley Transferred from abolished Tewkesbury Rural District 1935. Churchdown Down Hatherley Eastington Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935. Elmore Forthampton Transferred from abolished Tewkesbury Rural District 1935. Frampton on Severn Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935. Fretherne with Saul Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935. Frocester Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935. Hardwicke Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935. Harescombe Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935. Haresfield Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935. Hasfield Transferred from abolished Tewkesbury Rural District 1935. Hempsted Absorbed by Gloucester County Borough 1967. Highnam Formed 1935 by union of Highnam Over, Lassington parishes. Highnam Over Became part of Highnam parish 1935. Hucclecote Innsworth: renamed from Longlevens 1967 Lassington Became part of Highnam parish 1935. Longford Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935. Longlevens: renamed Innsworth 1967 Created 1935 from part of Wotton St Mary Without Longney Maisemore Matson Absorbed by Gloucester County Borough 1935. Minsterworth Transferred from abolished East Dean and United Parishes Rural District 1935 Moreton Valence Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935. Newnham Formerly an urban district, abolished 1935 Norton Prinknash Park Absorbed by Upton St Leonards parish 1935 Quedgeley Sandhurst Standish Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935. Tirley Transferred from abolished Tewkesbury Rural District 1935. Twigworth Upton St Leonards Absorbed Prinknash Park parish 1935 Westbury on Severn Formerly an urban district, abolished 1935 Whaddon Abolished 1935: split between Gloucester County Borough and Brookthorpe parish Wheatenhurst: renamed Whitminster 1945 Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935. Wotton St Mary Without Abolished 1935, part to create Longlevens parish, part to Gloucester County Borough. Wotton Vill Absorbed by Gloucester County Borough 1951.
Abolition The rural district was abolished on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. Its territory was split between three new non-metropolitan districts: Tewkesbury (17 parishes), Stroud (16 parishes) and Forest of Dean (Newnham and Westbury-on-Severn parishes).
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