Created under the Local Government Act, 1894, and superseded the part of the Henley Rural Sanitary District which was in Oxfordshire under the Oxfordshire Review Order, 1932, some parishes were transferred to the new Bullingdon Rural District; parishes in Goring & Crowmarsh Rural Districts (which were abolished) were transferred to Henley RD
Henley RDC was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act, 1972, its area being absorbed into the new South Oxfordshire District see F A Youngs 'Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England' for a list of parishes and changes in boundaries
In common with other rural and urban district councils, amongst its many responsibilities Henley RDC was responsible for public health, housing, rating, planning, building regulations, water supplies, sewerage, some roads, and (during World War Two) billeting of evacuees
In addition to the main records of the District Council, the archive includes the surviving records of its predecessor, Henley Rural Sanitary Authority (RDC8/1), and associated organisations, South Oxfordshire Assessment Committee (for rating purposes; RDC8/4), South Oxfordshire Joint Regional Planning Committee (RDC8/6) and Hemley & Wallingford Joint Smallpox Hospital Board (RDC8/7)
The archive was originally catalogued as Henley RDC (accession numbers 740, 741, 1117, 1507, 1551 & 1628)
Re-catalogued by Della Fredericks and Chris Gilliam with additional records from accessions: 2195, 3450, 4798, 5156, 5179, 5187, 5229, 5247, 5268, 5388, 5438, 5692, 5703
Date completed: Oct 2011