Glamorgan County Council was established in 1889 together with the administrative county of

Glamorganshire Glamorgan (), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( or ), was one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It is located in the south of Wales. Originally an early medieval petty kingdom of varying bo ...

under the

Local Government Act 1888 The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales. It came into effect ...

. The first elections to the council 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. It was replaced by

Mid Glamorgan County Council Mid Glamorgan County Council () was the upper-tier authority for the Welsh county of Mid Glamorgan between its creation in 1974 and its abolition in 1996. History Local government in England and Wales was reorganised in 1974 under the Local Gove ...

South Glamorgan County Council South Glamorgan County Council () was the local government authority that administered the county of South Glamorgan, Wales from its creation in 1974 until its abolition in 1996. History Local government in England and Wales was reorganised in 1 ...

and West Glamorgan County Council.

The first Council, 1889-92

There were sixty-eight members elected to the new county council in 1889. Prior to 1889 local government had been carried out by unelected magistrates, often wealthy industrialists and landowners. The first intake of Glamorgan County Council reflected this. Eight members declaring themselves as 'colliery proprietors' (and 15 others being chairmen, directors or prominent colliery shareholders). Owner of

Cyfarthfa Ironworks The Cyfarthfa Ironworks were major 18th- and 19th-century ironworks in Cyfarthfa, on the north-western edge of Merthyr Tydfil, in South West Wales. The beginning The Cyfarthfa works were begun in 1765 by Anthony Bacon (by then a merchant in ...

, William T. Crawshay, was elected in the

Cyfarthfa Cyfarthfa is a community and electoral ward in the west of the town of Merthyr Tydfil in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales. Community Cyfarthfa mainly consists of the settlements of Gellideg and Heolgerrig and Rhyd-y-car area just west of M ...

ward and four tinplate manufacturers were elected. Sir Hussey Vivian (shortly to become Lord Swansea) was elected in Tyrdennau and his brother Arthur was elected in

Margam Margam is a suburb and community (Wales), community of Port Talbot in the Wales, Welsh county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales, close to junction 39 of the M4 motorway. The community had a population of 3,017 in 2011; the built up area being l ...

. The Earl of Dunraven was elected in

Bridgend Bridgend (; or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge over the River Og ...

. The first meeting of the Council was held at the Gwyn Hall in Neath and Sir Hussey Vivian MP elected to the chair. The Liberal group did agree on a list of aldermen beforehand, but they were not as cohesive as in other counties in using a block vote. One of the main debates related to the venue for meetings, with the claims of Neath and Pontypridd being most prominent. The Bridgend Local Board of Health had petitioned Lord Dunraven to lobby for that town to be considered. The matter was resolved for the time being at the first statutory meeting, held at Pontypridd on 1 April where it was decided that the meetings be held alternately at Pontypridd and Neath, with the claims of Cardiff being rejected. At this meeting also, the chairman of the Council,

Sir Hussey Vivian Lieutenant General Richard Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian (28 July 1775 – 20 August 1842), known as Sir Hussey Vivian from 1815 to 1828 and Sir Hussey Vivian, Bt, from 1828 to 1841, was a British cavalry leader from the Vivian family. Early ...

, paid tribute to the magistrates for their past conduct of county business. Although not a representative body, he stated, they had conducted their work honourably and he hoped that the Council 'would be able in future to conduct the business of the county in as complete and perfect a manner as it had been conducted hitherto by the magistrates.'

The 1890s

In contrast to the first Council which included no working men, a number were elected to the second council. Lord Swansea died in 1894. The Liberal group were divided on a successor as chairman of the Council and J. Blandy Jenkins defeated Arthur Pendarves Vivian by 31 votes to 30 in March 1895. He was repeatedly re-elected for the next fifteen years.

County Hall, Cardiff

The county council considered a number of locations for a single county headquarters, including

Llandaff Llandaff (; ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Bisho ...

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydfil, daughter of K ...

, Neath and Pontypridd. Cardiff offered a site in the centre of the city and the county council launched a competition in July 1908 inviting designs for a new building. County Hall was built on Edward VII Avenue,

Cathays Park Cathays Park () or Cardiff Civic Centre is a civic centre area in the Cardiff City Centre, city centre of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, consisting of a number of early 20th century buildings and a central park area, Alexandra Gardens. It ...

, completed in 1911 and opened in 1912.

Elections

* 1889 Glamorgan County Council election *

1892 Glamorgan County Council election Year 189 ( CLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Silanus and Silanus (or, less frequently, year 942 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 189 for t ...

* 1895 Glamorgan County Council election * 1898 Glamorgan County Council election * 1901 Glamorgan County Council election * 1904 Glamorgan County Council election * 1907 Glamorgan County Council election * 1910 Glamorgan County Council election * 1913 Glamorgan County Council election * 1919 Glamorgan County Council election * 1967 Glamorgan County Council election

References

{{reflist History of Glamorgan Politics of Glamorgan County councils of Wales 1889 establishments in Wales 1974 disestablishments in Wales

The first Council, 1889-92

The 1890s

County Hall, Cardiff

Elections

See also

References