Gloucester Rural District


Gloucester was, from 1894 to 1974, a rural district in the administrative county of Gloucestershire, England. The district did not include the City of Gloucester, which was a separate county borough. In 1935 Gloucester RD was more than doubled in size.

Formation

The rural district was created by the Local Government Act 1894 as successor to Gloucester Rural Sanitary District. The rural district was governed by a directly elected rural district council, which replaced the rural sanitary authority that had comprised the poor law guardians for the area.

Boundary changes

Under the Local Government Act 1929 county councils were given the duty of reviewing all urban and rural districts within their area. In Gloucestershire there were a number of very small districts, and under the County of Gloucester Review Order 1935, Gloucester RD was enlarged by the transfer of the whole or parts of five abolished districts.
Between 1951 and 1967 a number of areas suburban to Gloucester were removed from the rural district when the city boundaries were extended.

Parishes

The district comprised the following civil parishes:
ParishNotes
ArlinghamTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935.
Ashleworth
BarnwoodAbolished in 1967 with most of area passing to Gloucester County Borough
Brockworth
Brookthorpe, renamed Brookthorpe with Whaddon 1956Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935.
ChaceleyTransferred from abolished Tewkesbury Rural District 1935.
Churchdown
Down Hatherley
EastingtonTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935.
Elmore
ForthamptonTransferred from abolished Tewkesbury Rural District 1935.
Frampton on SevernTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935.
Fretherne with SaulTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935.
FrocesterTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District in 1935.
HardwickeTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935.
HarescombeTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935.
HaresfieldTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935.
HasfieldTransferred from abolished Tewkesbury Rural District 1935.
HempstedAbsorbed by Gloucester County Borough 1967.
HighnamFormed 1935 by union of Highnam Over, Lassington parishes.
Highnam OverBecame part of Highnam parish 1935.
Hucclecote
Innsworth: renamed from Longlevens 1967
LassingtonBecame part of Highnam parish 1935.
LongfordTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935.
Longlevens: renamed Innsworth 1967Created 1935 from part of Wotton St Mary Without
Longney
Maisemore
MatsonAbsorbed by Gloucester County Borough 1935.
MinsterworthTransferred from abolished East Dean and United Parishes Rural District 1935
Moreton ValenceTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935.
NewnhamFormerly an urban district, abolished 1935
Norton
Prinknash ParkAbsorbed by Upton St Leonards parish 1935
Quedgeley
Sandhurst
StandishTransferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935.
TirleyTransferred from abolished Tewkesbury Rural District 1935.
Twigworth
Upton St LeonardsAbsorbed Prinknash Park parish 1935
Westbury on SevernFormerly an urban district, abolished 1935
WhaddonAbolished 1935: split between Gloucester County Borough and Brookthorpe parish
Wheatenhurst: renamed Whitminster 1945Transferred from abolished Wheatenhurst Rural District 1935.
Wotton St Mary WithoutAbolished 1935, part to create Longlevens parish, part to Gloucester County Borough.
Wotton VillAbsorbed by Gloucester County Borough 1951.

Abolition

The rural district was abolished on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. Its territory was split between three new non-metropolitan districts: Tewkesbury, Stroud and Forest of Dean.