Cardiganshire County Council was the local government authority for the county of
Cardiganshire
Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...
,
Wales, between 1889 and 1974. It was superseded by
Dyfed County Council.
Overview
The administrative county of Cardigan and its local authority, the Cardiganshire County Council was established in 1889 under the
Local Government Act 1888. The first elections were held in January 1889. The council was abolished under the
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
on 1 April 1974.
The
Ceredigion District Council operated between 1974 and 1996 as a district within the new
Dyfed County Council. As a result of the
Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, which came into force on 1 April 1996, a new unitary authority of
Cardiganshire
Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...
was established with boundaries identical to those of the previous county council.
Early History, 1889-1914
During the period,
Liberal candidates won large majorities at each election and Conservative support was limited to some of the towns and areas where local gentry continued to gain some personal support. The leadership of the council was composed mainly of prosperous middle class tradesmen, professionals and nonconformist ministers.
1889 Election
The first election was held in 1889 and the
Liberal Party held a large majority of the seats down to the First World War, reflecting its dominance over the politics of the county.
The first meeting of the council was a notable watershed, as
Morgan Evans of Oakford proposed that in fairness to the Welsh councillors business should be transacted in Welsh as well as in English. He proceeded to propose the Aberystwyth tradesmen Peter Jones, elected to represent rural Trefeurig as chair. The
Earl of Lisburne seconded this proposal.
Despite the fiery rhetoric at this initial election and at later contests, the Conservatives' willingness to accept the Liberal triumph was met in return with a tacit acceptance by the Liberals that the Conservatives be allocated a number of aldermanic seats. It was nearly ten years, however, before the Council had a Conservative chairman: J.C. Harford of Falcondale, who was elected on a motion moved by Peter Jones.
By the early years of the twentieth century much of the earlier enthusiasm had become dissipated and many members attended only a few meetings a year.
Offices
In the early years the county council held their meetings at
Lampeter Town Hall. The county council established offices for county officials and their departments at the former
town hall in Aberaeron in 1910 and it was not until 1950 that the council established a permanent base at
Swyddfa'r Sir in
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
. Some departments, including the departments of the county surveyor and the county architect, remained at Aberaeron.
See also
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List of Chairmen of Cardiganshire County Council
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1889 Cardiganshire County Council election
The first election to the Cardiganshre County Council was held in January 1889.. Details of the candidates can be found in this source. It was followed by the 1892 Cardiganshire County Council election, 1892 election. The county was divided in ...
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1892 Cardiganshire County Council election
The second election for the Cardiganshire County Council took place in March 1892. It was preceded by the inaugural 1889 Cardiganshire County Council election, 1889 election and followed by the 1895 Cardiganshire County Council election, 1895 el ...
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1895 Cardiganshire County Council election
The third election to the Cardiganshire County Council took place in March 1895. It was preceded by the 1892 election and followed by the 1898 election
Overview of the Result
The Liberals were again returned with a large majority. There were ...
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1898 Cardiganshire County Council election
The fourth elections for Cardiganshire County Council Cardiganshire County Council was the local government authority for the county of Cardiganshire, Wales, between 1889 and 1974. It was superseded by Dyfed County Council.
Overview
The administr ...
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1901 Cardiganshire County Council election
The fifth elections for Cardiganshire County Council took place in March 1901. They were preceded by the 1898 election and followed by the 1904 election
Overview of the Results
The Liberals once again won by a large majority but there were sign ...
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1904 Cardiganshire County Council election
The sixth elections for Cardiganshire County Council Cardiganshire County Council was the local government authority for the county of Cardiganshire, Wales, between 1889 and 1974. It was superseded by Dyfed County Council.
Overview
The administra ...
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1907 Cardiganshire County Council election
The sixth elections for Cardiganshire County Council Cardiganshire County Council was the local government authority for the county of Cardiganshire, Wales, between 1889 and 1974. It was superseded by Dyfed County Council.
Overview
The administra ...
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1910 Cardiganshire County Council election
The sixth elections for Cardiganshire County Council Cardiganshire County Council was the local government authority for the county of Cardiganshire, Wales, between 1889 and 1974. It was superseded by Dyfed County Council.
Overview
The administra ...
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1913 Cardiganshire County Council election
The ninth elections for Cardiganshire County Council took place in March 1913. They were preceded by the 1910 election and followed by the 1919 election as no election took place in 1916 due to the First World War
World War I (28 July 1 ...
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Ceredigion County Council, the post-1996 unitary authority.
References
{{reflist
History of Ceredigion
County councils of Wales