FLINTSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL (PRE-1974) RECORDS

Flintshire County Council minutes, 1889-1974; Education Committee minutes, 1889-1974; registers of sealed documents, 1785-1971; orders, schemes, and regulations, 1888-1958; agreements, 1911-1940; plans, 1895-1954; rights of way maps, 1932-1962; bye-laws, 1898-1967; year books, 1897-1973; county buildings, 1820-1904; reports, schemes, and memoranda, 1925-1973; brochures, programmes, and photographs of official events, 1898-1974; committee agenda papers, 1934-1967; grant of arms, 1938; and departmental records of Flintshire County Council, 1870-1987, including records of the Clerk's Department, 1889-1965 (including plans); Education Department records, 1904-1973; Treasurer's Department records, 1889-1974; Surveyor's Department records, 1870-1987; Health Department records, 1912-1974; Welfare Department records, 1963-1970; Children's Department records, 1948-1957; Social Services Department records, 1973-1983; Architect's Department records, 1903-1974; Planning Department records, 1905-1980; Consumer Protection Department records, 1835-1966; Motor Taxation Department records, 1903-1965; County Library records, 1925-1985; Land Agent's Department records, 1905-1974; and County Fire Service records, 1949-1973.

Accumulated 1889-1987. Committee Agenda Papers were transferred from Flintshire County Council, 1973. Clerk's Department Departmental Files were transferred in April 1973. The correspondence files were transferred to archives from the Modern Records Section of the Record Office in 1984. Some files remain in the modern records section. School correspondence files schedules were transferred by the Director of Education, Shire Hall, Mold, in November 1968. In late 1972, the Architect's Department inaugurated a programme of microfilming plans and drawings for ease of reference and storage; after microfilming and indexing, most of the plans were destroyed, but some original plans have been selected for permanent preservation, mainly elevations and block plans; these have been transferred to the Record Office. Records relating to the County Land Agent's Department were transferred from the Modern Records Section of the Record Office in 1994.

Flintshire as a county came into existence in 1284 after Edward I proclaimed the Statute of Wales at Rhuddlan, Flintshire. The administrative work of counties was carried out by Justices of the Peace in the Court of Quarter Sessions until the late nineteenth century. In 1888, elected county councils were created, together with county borough councils for towns with a population for over 50,000; they were responsible for the administration of the county. The first meeting of Flintshire County Council was held at County Hall, Mold, in 1889. The Flintshire County Council took over administrative duties regarding roads and bridges, county properties, and county rates; additional duties were later added, including education, health, and welfare; the Motor Taxation Department dealt with the registration of motor vehicles, as required by the Motor Car Acts, 1896 and 1903. A Smallholdings Committee was set up in 1907. Flintshire County Council formed a Post-War-Development Committee in 1941; it became the North Wales Development Council in 1946. In 1951, the County Council established the Flintshire County Record Office as a permanent archive of its records, and departments periodically transferred material to it. In 1974, Flintshire was abolished, when it was absorbed into the new county of Clwyd, along with Denbighshire. In 1996, Clwyd was abolished and replaced by unitary authorities; the new Flintshire County Council covers only the northern part of the pre-1974 county; the detached area is now covered by Wrexham County Borough Council.

Arranged into the following: County Council minutes; Education Committee minutes; miscellaneous committee minutes; registers of sealed documents; orders, schemes and regulations; County Council agreements; County and District Boundary plans; Town and Country Planning Act and development plans; Rights of Way maps; bye-laws; yearbooks; county buildings; reports, schemes, and memoranda; brochures, programmes of official events, photographs; miscellaneous; Committee Agenda papers; grant of arms; and departmental records (Clerk's Department; Education Department; Treasurer's Department; Surveyor's Department; Health Department; Welfare Department; Children's Department; Social Services Department; Architect's Department; Planning Department; Consumer Protection Department; Motor Taxation Department; County Library; Land Agent's Department; and County Fire Service).

Restrictions will apply to items less than 100 years old that contain personal information. Records of patients are closed to public inspection for 100 years.

Personal correspondence, 1933, and 1938, regarding mental health, are restricted access.

Some public and national assistance records are closed.

Please order documents using the alternative reference number (where provided).

Compiled by Annette Strauch for the ANW project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Flintshire Record Office, Catalogue of County Council Records; Richards, Melville, Welsh Administrative and Territorial Units (Cardiff 1969); Collis, P., The West Glamorgan Achive Service, A Guide to the Collections (Swansea, 1998); GENUKI website, Flintshire Genealogy (http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/FLN/), viewed 8 January 2004; Versey, A.G., Guide to the Flintshire Record Office (Flintshire County Council, 1974).

A hard copy of the catalogue is available in Flintshire Record Office. Catalogue is searchable online the Archives HUB: https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/

Compiled by Annette Strauch for the ANW project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Flintshire Record Office, Catalogue of County Council Records; Richards, Melville, Welsh Administrative and Territorial Units (Cardiff 1969); Collis, P., The West Glamorgan Achive Service, A Guide to the Collections (Swansea, 1998); GENUKI website, Flintshire Genealogy (http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/FLN/), viewed 8 January 2004; Versey, A.G., Guide to the Flintshire Record Office (Flintshire County Council, 1974).

Usual copyright regulations apply.

Usual Copyright Restrictions Apply. Copyright Flintshire County Council, so copying will usually be possible.

Records appraised on reception from Flintshire County Council; destroyed if historical value deemed insufficient.

Accruals have been made by transfer from the Modern Record Section and from the Council's successor bodies. Further accruals are expected.

CC, Clwyd County Council (1974-1996); FN, Flintshire County Council (post-1996; D/DM/870/1-2.