Neath Rural District Council Records

Records of Neath Rural District Council, 1885-1982, including Clerk's Department records, 1885-1968, including council minutes, 1895-1968, committee minutes, 1895-1974, and registers of mortgages, 1885-1935; Treasurer's Department records, 1919-1982, comprising accounts, 1919-1982, and abstracts of accounts, 1949-1972; Medical Officer of Health annual reports and registers, 1919-1973; registers of births reported to the Ministry of Health, 1915-1948; overcrowding survey, 1936; Tyn-y-Twr cemetery plan, 1915; planning and grant application registers, 1881-1974; papers relating to local government re-organisation of the Boroughs of Swansea, Neath and Aberavon (later Port Talbot), 1919-1936, Briton Ferry Bridge Bill, 1914-1922, and various water undertakings, 1885-1921. See also System of Arrangement field.

Neath Rural District Council, Glamorgan, was created under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1894 and comprised the parishes of Baglan Higher, Blaengwrach, Blaenhonddan, Clyne, Coedffranc, Dulais Lower, Dulais Higher, Dyffryn Clydach, Michaelston Higher, Neath Lower, Neath Higher, Resolven, Rhigos and Tonna. The Council comprised councilors and a chairman and initially replaced the local sanitary authorities. The Council was responsible for a range of local services including sanitation, sewerage, refuse collection, maintaining local roads, cemeteries and parks, licensing of public entertainments, water supply and housing. Rural District Councils were administered by committees and by appointed officers including a Clerk, Treasurer, Medical Officer of Health, Housing Officer and Surveyor. Neath Rural District Council was abolished in 1974 following local government reorganisation and its functions were assumed by the new Borough of Neath.

Arranged into the following: Medical Officer of Health; Public Health Inspector (RD/N); Clerk's Department; Surveyor's Department (PTL RD/N); registers of births (RD/N); Council minutes; Electric Lighting Committee minutes; Finance Committee minutes; Housing and Town Planning Committee minutes; Interim Development Authority minutes; Public Health and General Purposes Committee minutes; Water Committee minutes (NL RD/N); Clerk's Department; Treasurer's Department (NM RD/N); Planning Department; Treasurers' Department, local government re-organisation; Briton Ferry Bridge; water undertaking; local government re-organisation, 1969 (RD/N).

No restrictions

It is the policy of the West Glamorgan Archive Service to withhold the names of depositors.

Compiled by Rhys Jones for the ANW project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: West Glamorgan Archive Service, Local Authority Records - Rural District Councils - Neath Rural District Council, catalogue; Jackson, W. Eric, The Structure of Local Government in England and Wales (London: Longmans, 1949); Hey, David, Oxford Dictionary of Local and Family History (Oxford, 1997); Richards, Melville, Welsh Administrative and Territorial Units (Cardiff, 1969); Collis, Kim, The West Glamorgan Archives Service: A Guide to the Collections (Swansea, 1998).

Hard copies of the catalogue are available at West Glamorgan Archive Service.

Usual copyright regulations apply.

All records have been retained

After the abolition of Neath RDC in 1974, some of the records were transferred to Neath Museum. These records are distinguished by a collection code NM RD/N. Others, identified by the collection code NL RD/N were formerly in the care of Neath Library.

Accruals are not expected

Further records are West Glamorgan Archive Service, D/D Z 58.