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rural district Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of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

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

from 1894 to 1974. It saw various boundary changes during its existence, particularly in 1935, when it absorbed

Kirkby Lonsdale Kirkby Lonsdale () is a town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, on the River Lune. Historically in Westmorland, it lies south-east of Kendal on the A65. The parish recorded a population of 1,771 in the 2001 ...

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...

, whilst parts merged with

Ambleside Ambleside is a town and former civil parish, now in the parish of Lakes, Cumbria, Lakes, in Cumbria, in North West England. Historic counties of England, Historically in Westmorland, it marks the head (and sits on the east side of the northern ...

and Grasmere Urban Districts to form

Lakes A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

Urban District at the same time. The district 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 the area becoming part of the

South Lakeland South Lakeland is a local government district in Cumbria, England. The population of the non-metropolitan district was 102,301 according to the 2001 census, increasing to 103,658 at the 2011 Census. Its council is based in Kendal. It includes ...

district of

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

History

The district had its origins in the

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...

Poor Law Union, which had been created in 1836, covering Kendal itself and a large rural area surrounding the town. In 1872 sanitary districts were established, giving public health and local government responsibilities for rural areas to the existing

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. The Kendal Rural Sanitary District therefore covered the area of the poor law union except for

Bowness on Windermere Bowness-on-Windermere is a town in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It lies next to Windermere lake and the town of Windermere to the north east with which it forms the civil parish of Windermere and Bowness. The town was histor ...

, Grasmere, Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale, and

Windermere Windermere (sometimes tautology (language), tautologically called Windermere Lake to distinguish it from the nearby town of Windermere, Cumbria (town), Windermere) is the largest natural lake in England. More than 11 miles (18 km) in leng ...

, which each had urban authorities and so became their own urban sanitary districts. Ambleside was subsequently made its own urban sanitary district in 1884, removing it from the Kendal Rural Sanitary District. The Kendal Rural Sanitary District was administered from the workhouse in Kendal, which had been built in 1769 at 1A Windermere Road. 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 from 28 December 1894. Had the Kendal Rural Sanitary District followed the usual naming pattern, it would have become "Kendal Rural District". However, at the new council's first meeting, on 29 December 1894 at the workhouse, the council chose instead to call the district "South Westmorland Rural District". John Holme of Milnthorpe was appointed the first chairman of the council, having been the chairman of the board of guardians for the previous fourteen years. In 1935 the district boundaries were changed. It gained Kirkby Lonsdale, which ceased to be a separate urban district. At the same time it ceded the parishes of Langdales, Rydal and Loughrigg, and Troutbeck to the new Lakes Urban District, created from those parishes plus the Ambleside and Grasmere Urban Districts and the parish of

Patterdale Patterdale (Saint Patrick's Dale) is a small village and civil parish in the eastern part of the English Lake District in the Eden District of Cumbria, in the traditional county of Westmorland, and the long valley in which they are found, also ...

from

West Ward Rural District West Ward was a rural district of the administrative county of Westmorland. The area was directly based on the former West Ward rural sanitary district, and therefore indirectly on the old West Ward or hundred of Westmorland. The district exi ...

Premises

In its early years, the council met at

Kendal Town Hall The Town Hall is a municipal building in Highgate, Kendal, Cumbria. It is a Grade II listed building. It serves as the headquarters of Kendal Town Council and also forms part of the complex of buildings which served as the headquarters of the f ...

, with staff based at various offices around Kendal. By 1951 the council was based at Stricklandgate House at 92 Stricklandgate in

, where it would remain until its abolition in 1974.

Abolition

South Westmorland Rural District was abolished under the

, with the area becoming part of the new

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

on 1 April 1974. Stricklandgate House was subsequently used as the headquarters of South Lakeland District Council until 1991.South Lakeland District Council minutes, 10 December 1991: noted as last meeting at Stricklandgate House and future meetings from 16 December 1991 to be at South Lakeland House.

References

{{reflist History of Cumbria History of Westmorland Districts of England created by the Local Government Act 1894 Districts of England abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 Rural districts of England Westmorland