List of rural and urban districts in Northern Ireland

The urban districts and rural districts of Northern Ireland had their origin in 1899, when the Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898 came into effect. They were based on the system of district councils introduced in England and Wales four years earlier.

With the creation of Northern Ireland in 1921, it received six of Ireland's thirty-three administrative counties, each subdivided into a number of urban and rural districts, plus the county boroughs of Belfast and Londonderry which were administered outside the counties.

In 1921 the number of rural districts was reduced by amalgamation.

Each district was divided into a number of District Electoral Divisions.

See List of Irish Local Government Areas 1900 - 1921 for a historic list of districts in all of Ireland.

Boroughs

Urban District Councils could petition for a charter of incorporation, designating the urban district a Borough. The first of these was Bangor in 1927, followed by Coleraine in 1928, Ballymena and Newtownards in 1937, Larne in 1938, Portadown in 1947, Carrickfergus, Enniskillen and Lurgan in 1949, with Lisburn being the last in 1964.

Outside of this system were the Belfast and Londonderry county boroughs.

Local government reform

The Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 replaced the existing system of county boroughs, administrative counties, urban districts and rural districts with 26 local government districts. The new system came into effect on 1st October 1973.

Urban and Rural Districts in Northern Ireland, 1973

County Antrim

County Fermanagh

ources

* Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971, (Eliz II 19 & 20 c.9)
* Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 (Eliz II 20 & 21 c.9)
* Local Government (Boundaries) Order (Northern Ireland) 1972 (S.R. & O. 1972, No. 131).
* The Belfast Gazette
* Larne Borough Guide, undated
* Omagh District Guide, undated
* Strabane District Official Guide, c 1989
* Northern Ireland census