Blything Rural District was a

rural district Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the Ad ...

within the administrative county of East Suffolk between 1894 and 1934.

Evolution

The district had its origins in the Blything Hundred Incorporation, set up in 1764 to administer the

poor laws In English and British history, poor relief refers to government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over the centuries, various authorities have needed to decide whose poverty deserves relief and also who should bear the cost of hel ...

in the

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to de ...

of Blything. A workhouse to serve the area was built at Bulcamp in the parish of

Blythburgh Blythburgh is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is west of Southwold and south-east of Halesworth and lies on the River Blyth. The A12 road runs through the village which is split e ...

, opening in 1766. Following the

Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 The ''Poor Law Amendment Act 1834'' (PLAA) known widely as the New Poor Law, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Earl Grey. It completely replaced earlier legislation based on the ''Poor Relief ...

, the old incorporation was dissolved and replaced by the Blything Poor Law Union in 1835. In 1872,

sanitary district Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1872 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures: *Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies *Rural sanitary dis ...

s were established, with responsibility for public health and local government given to the

boards of guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the poor ...

of poor law unions for areas without urban authorities. The Blything Rural Sanitary District therefore covered the area of the Blything Poor Law Union except for the parish of

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is a ...

, which was a

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

and so formed its own urban sanitary district. Under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level un ...

, rural sanitary districts became rural districts on 28 December 1894. Blything Rural District Council held its first meeting on 31 December 1894 at the Blything Union Workhouse at Bulcamp, Blythburgh. Thomas Lomax of Grove Park, Yoxford, was appointed the first chairman of the council; he had previously been chairman of the Blything

Board of Guardians Boards of guardians were ''ad hoc'' authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930. England and Wales Boards of guardians were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish overseers of the poor ...

. The council continued to be based at the workhouse at Bulcamp throughout its existence. Two urban districts were subsequently created out of parishes within Blything: Leiston cum Sizewell in 1895 and

Halesworth Halesworth is a market town, civil parish and electoral ward in north-eastern Suffolk, England. The population stood at 4,726 in the 2011 Census. It lies south-west of Lowestoft, on a tributary of the River Blyth, upstream from Southwold. T ...

in 1900. In 1934, under a

County Review Order The Local Government Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales. The Act abolished the system of poor law unions in England and Wales and their boar ...

, Blything Rural District was abolished. The largest part of its territory passed to the new but similarly named

Blyth Rural District Blyth Rural District was a rural district in East Suffolk, England, between 1934 and 1974. The rural district was formed by the merger of parts of Blything Rural District and Plomesgate Rural District with a small parts of Hoxne Rural District, ...

; apart from small adjustments the rest went to

Lothingland Lothingland is an area in the English county, English counties of Suffolk and Norfolk on the North Sea coast. It is bound by the River Yare and Breydon Water to the north, the River Waveney to the west and Oulton Broad to the south, and includes t ...

and Wainford Rural Districts.

Statistics

Parishes

References

History of Suffolk Districts of England created by the Local Government Act 1894 Rural districts of England {{Former local government areas in Suffolk