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Rural District Councils

Rural District Councils

 

Rural District Council Minute Books

Rural District Council Minute Books‌

 

The Rural District Councils were set up under the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898. They took over a number of functions from the Boards of Guardians, including roads, housing and sanitary services. They were abolished in 1925.

 

 
Rural District Councils: Records


The minutes of meetings of the Councils are generally indexed by function and names. The volumes include minutes of the meetings held under the Public Health Acts, because the Rural District Council acted as the Public Sanitary Authority (regarding water supply, dwellings, inspections, contagious diseases, sewerage etc); Labourers Acts; Financial minutes (re: statements of receipts - usually monthly, accounts, salaries, expenditure); and miscellaneous including bridges, rates, burial boards and liaisons with the Congested Districts Boards.

 

 

Ballyshannon Rural District Council

 

  • 19 volumes of minutes and quarterly minutes of the meetings of the RDC, 1899 – 1925;

 

  • Minutes of School Attendance Committee, 1918 – 1925;

 

  • School Attendance Committee Cash Book, 1918 – 1925;

 

  • Register of Applications made to the District Council, of proposed contracts, 1905.

 

Ballyshannon RDC 1920 resolution

 Resolution of Ballyshannon Rural District Council, 1920

 

 

Donegal Rural District Council

 

  • 11 volumes of the minutes of the meetings of the RDC, 1914 – 1925.

 

 

Dunfanaghy Rural District Council

 

  • 18 volumes of minutes of the meetings and Labourers’ Acts meetings of the RDC, 1899 – 1925;

 

  • 13 folders of correspondence, internally within the RDC and externally, with other organisations, 1909 – 1918;

 

Rural District Council Dunfanaghy

Extract from Dunfanaghy RDC Minute Book, 1906‌

 

 

Glenties Rural District Council

 

  • 14 volumes of the minutes and half yearly minutes of the RDC, 1899 – 1925;

 

  • Register of Mortgages, 1908 – 1914.

 

 

Inishowen Rural District Council

 

  • 13 volumes of minutes of meetings of the RDC, 1899 – 1925;

 

  • Record of reports by sanitary officers of houses and farms, giving number, date, from whom report received, name of owner or occupier where nuisance exists, nature of nuisance, 1911 – 1932;

 

  • Book of Estimates of the Inishowen RDC, 1899 – 1910;

 

  • Treasurer's Receipt and Payment Book from Inishowen RDC, 1923 – 1925;

 

  • Material relating to water supply in Carndonagh and surrounding area, Inishowen Union, 1899 – 1930.

 

 

Letterkenny Rural District Council

 

  • 18 volumes of minutes and quarterly minutes of the RDC, 1899 – 1925;

 

  • Minutes of the meetings of the National Benefit Committee, organising outdoor relief, 1922 – 1923;

 

  • Register of Mortgages, 1902 – 1946;

 

  • RDC Labourers' Payments of rents book, 1929 – 1962;

 

  • Material relating to Lough Salt Water Supply Scheme, 1908.

 

 

Londonderry No. 2 Rural District Council

 

  • 2 volumes of minutes of meetings of the RDC, 1899 – 1921 (amalgamated with Letterkenny RDC in 1921);

 

  • Notice of Appointment of Arbitrator and Date of Inquiry in the matter of the "Londonderry No.2 Rural District Labourers (Unopposed) Order, 1908".

 

 

Milford Rural District Council

 

  • 26 volumes of minutes of meetings and quarterly meetings of the RDC, 1899 – 1925;

 

  • Reports from Various Electoral Divisions in Milford Rural District in relation to the building of labourers’ cottages.

 

 

Strabane No. 2 District Council

 

  • 15 volumes of minutes of meetings of the RDC, 1899 – 1922;

 

  • Loans Expenditure Book Labourers Act. Details include name of person to whom payment is made; particulars of payment, details of contract, 1904 – 1917;

 

  • Lifford Lighting/Water & Sewerage Committee. The Committee was a sub-committee of Strabane No. 2 Rural District Council, and its main duty was the lighting of the town of Lifford and waterworks and sewerage in the town. Records include minutes of meetings, list of members of the committee, a poster and correspondence, 1911 – 1924.

 

 

Stranorlar Rural District Council

 

  • Stranorlar: 8 volumes of minutes and rough minutes of meetings of the RDC, 1899 – 1925;

 

  • Annual Estimate of Rural District Council, 1907 – 1920;

 

  • Correspondence, 1920 - 1921.

 

 

General material -Rural District Councils

 

  • Exemplifications: accounts of rural districts, printed volume outlining the methods approved by the Auditor, Local Government Board, Ireland, of maintaining the accounts of the RDCs, 1899;

 

  • Treasurer's Receipt and Payment Book, 1903 – 1920.

 

All the Rural District Council records are open to the public.