North Cotswold was, from 1935 to 1974, 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rural district Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of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 ...

in the administrative county of

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, England.

Formation

Under the Local Government Act 1929 county councils were given the duty of reviewing the districts within their county. Gloucestershire contained a large number of very small urban and rural districts, and it was decided to reduce the number by amalgamation. This was carried out by ''The County of Gloucester Review Order 1935'', which came into effect on 1 April 1935. North Cotswold Rural District was formed by the amalgamation of the whole or part of four districts: *

Campden Rural District Campden was, from 1894 to 1935, a rural district in the administrative county of Gloucestershire, England. The district lay on the north-eastern boundary of Gloucestershire, and consisted of three separate areas nearly surrounded by the countie ...

(less 3 parishes transferred to Stratford-on-Avon Rural District,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

) *

Stow on the Wold Stow-on-the-Wold is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, on top of an 800-foot (244 m) hill at the junction of main roads through the Cotswolds, including the Fosse Way (A429), which is of Roman origin. The town was founde ...

Urban District *

Stow on the Wold Rural District Stow may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Stow, Lincolnshire or Stow-in-Lindsey, a village * Stow of Wedale or Stow, Scottish Borders, a village * Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, a small town * Stow, Shropshire or Stowe, a village * Stow ...

(less 2 parishes to Northleach Rural District) *

Winchcombe Rural District Winchcombe was, from 1894 to 1935, a rural district in the Cotswolds area of England. It included parts of two administrative counties: Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. Formation The rural district was created by the Local Government Act 18 ...

(part only, most passed to

Cheltenham Rural District Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

)

Parishes

The district consisted of the following parishes:

Coat of arms and motto

North Cotswold Rural District Council was granted armorial bearings by

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

dated 9 September 1955. The grant consisted of arms and crest, which were

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The vis ...

ed as follows:

Vert a pallet argent over all a fleece Or ringed and banded gules on a chief enarched of the second two mitres also gules, and for a crest, out of a coronet composed of four
fleurs-de-lys The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
set upon a rim Or, a swan rousant proper gorged with a ducal coronet pendent therefrom an escutcheon gules charged with a sun gold.

The green field and "enarched" chief or top third of the shield represented the curve of a hill. The fleece was a symbol of the traditional woollen industry of the area. The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

chosen by the council: ''Montes Excelsi Refugio'' or "the high hills for a refuge" was adapted from Psalm 104.

Abolition

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 ...

, which completely reorganised council boundaries throughout England and Wales. North Cotswold RD was merged with four neighbouring districts to form the

non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''shire counties'') in a two-tier arrangement. Non-m ...

Cotswold The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Juras ...

, one of six districts in Gloucestershire.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=April 2020 Districts of England abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 History of Gloucestershire