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rural district Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of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

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, England from 1894 to 1974. It surrounded Preston on the north, west and east sides. The district was created 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 ...

. It was abolished in 1974 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 ...

, with its area being split between the new districts of

South Ribble South Ribble is a borough in the county of Lancashire, England. Its council is based in Leyland. The population, at the 2011 Census, was 109,057. Notable towns and villages include Walton le Dale, Bamber Bridge, Leyland and Penwortham. It ...

, Preston and

Ribble Valley Ribble Valley is a local government district with borough status within the non-metropolitan county of Lancashire, England. The total population of the non-metropolitan district at the 2011 Census was 57,132. Its council is based in Clitheroe. ...

. It contained the following parishes: * Barton, Broughton, Elston (until 1934 when merged into Grimsargh),

Goosnargh Goosnargh ( ) is a village and civil parish in the City of Preston district of Lancashire, England. The village lies between Broughton and Longridge, and mostly lies in the civil parish of Whittingham, although the ancient centre lies in ...

, Grimsargh-with-Brockholes (until 1934 when merged into Grimsargh),

Grimsargh Grimsargh is a village and civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England. located east of Preston. History The name Grimsargh is said to derive from an Old Norse name ''Grímr'' with Norse ''erg''. One reference lists it as comi ...

(from 1934),

Haighton Haighton is a civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England. It is a rural area north east of the urban city of Preston, beyond Fulwood and Brookfield. Geography Haighton also contains the hamlets of Haighton Green and Haighton T ...

, Lea Ashton Ingol and Cottam (until 1934 when split into Lea,

Fulwood Urban District Fulwood was an urban district of Lancashire, England. It was subject to some changes in its boundaries:http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10137019&c_id=10001043 *1 April 1934: lost to County Borough of Preston P ...

and the

County Borough of Preston Preston Municipal Borough, also known as the County Borough of Preston from 1889, was a local government district coterminate with the town of Preston in Lancashire, northwest England from 1836 to 1974. Preston was one of only a few industri ...

Lea Lea or LEA may refer to: Places Australia * Lea River, Tasmania, Australia * Lake Lea, Tasmania, from which the Lea River flows * RAAF Base Learmonth, IATA airport code "LEA" England * Lea, Cheshire, a civil parish * Lea, Derbyshire, a set ...

(from 1934), Whittingham and

Woodplumpton Woodplumpton is a village and civil parish in the City of Preston, Lancashire, England, located north of Preston. Geography It is part of the Fylde, a flat area of land between the Forest of Bowland and the Lancashire coast. Community The v ...

which were all transferred to the Borough of Preston in 1974 * Dutton,

Hothersall Hothersall is a civil parish in the Ribble Valley district, in Lancashire, England. The parish, which is on the north bank of the River Ribble, is rural and in the 2001 census had a population of 136, increasing to 145 at the 2011 Census. It is ...

and

Ribchester Ribchester is a village and civil parish within the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Ribble, northwest of Blackburn and east of Preston. The village has a long history with evidence of Bronze ...

which were all transferred to Ribble Valley in 1974 *

Cuerdale Cuerdale is a civil parish in the South Ribble district of Lancashire, England. It includes ''Cuerdale Hall'' and has no substantive settlements. It originated as a township in the parish of Blackburn, becoming a separate civil parish in 1866. Fr ...

Farington Farington is a village and civil parish in the South Ribble local government district of Lancashire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 6,674. History The parish was part of Preston Rural District throughout ...

, Howick (until 1934 when merged into Penwortham), Hutton, The Holme (until merged into Penwortham),

Little Hoole Little Hoole is a civil parish in Lancashire, England, It contains the village of Walmer Bridge, and the remaining part is predominantly a farming community. Other nearby villages include Much Hoole and Longton. The parish had a population of 1,8 ...

Longton Longton may refer to several places: * Longton, Kansas, United States * Longton, Lancashire, United Kingdom * Longton, Staffordshire, United Kingdom See also * Longtan (disambiguation) * Longtown (disambiguation) Longtown may refer to several plac ...

Much Hoole Much Hoole is a village and civil parish in the borough of South Ribble, Lancashire, England. The parish of Much Hoole had a population of 1,851 at the time of the 2001 census, increasing to 1,997 at the 2011 Census. History Hoole derives from ...

Penwortham Penwortham () is a town in South Ribble, Lancashire, England, on the south bank of the River Ribble facing the city of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. The town is at the most westerly crossing point of the river, with major road and rail links cr ...

and

Samlesbury Samlesbury () is a village and civil parish in South Ribble, Lancashire, England. Samlesbury Hall, a historic house, is in the village, as is Samlesbury Aerodrome and a large modern brewery owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. The population at the ...

which were all transferred to South Ribble in 1974 *

Ribbleton Ribbleton is a suburb and ward of the city of Preston, Lancashire, England. It is located to the east of the city centre, between the A59 New Hall Lane and the B6243 Longridge Road. The M6 motorway also runs through the area. The ward had a pop ...

(until 1934 when absorbed into the County Borough of Preston)Ribbleton Tn/CP
''Vision of Britain'', retrieved 9 June 2014

References

History of Lancashire Local government in Preston Districts of England created by the Local Government Act 1894 Districts of England abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 Rural districts of England {{Lancashire-geo-stub