Catalogue

Hawthorn Civil Parish

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• Hawthorn Civil Parish
  • Hawthorn Civil Parish (Ref: CP/Haw)
  • Minutes (Ref: CP/Haw 1/)
  • Declarations of acceptance of Office (Ref: CP/Haw 2/)

Catalogue Description

Changes in administration leading towards modern structures in local government, as we see them today, began before the Local Government Act 1894. The Representation of the People Act 1832 initiated the whole system of changes in English administration in the 19th Century. Many ancient parishes were turned into new administrative units following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1866. Generally, ecclesiastical parishes were substituted by civil parishes, which became the smallest administrative units. Urban and Rural districts were also introduced in 1894 and, together with Municipal Boroughs already in existence, created a middle tier in the administrative system, each comprising several civil parishes. Therefore, at the end of the century, there were three main levels in the local government hierarchy: counties, districts and civil parishes.

Civil parishes at first were organised the way the old poor law union and ecclesiastical parishes were. Boundaries of most were identical with ecclesiastical parishes, but over time they changed under several local government reorganisations.

The 1894 Act introduced elected councils on a parish level, having been established in counties first in 1888. Parishes with a population of over 300 had an obligation to elect a council, and parishes over 200 could decide whether they needed one or not. If they chose not to, then all decisions on their behalf were made by the relevant district council and the same procedure applied to small parishes. Initially, members of the parish council were elected by local government electors for the parish during the parish annual meeting, but this changed after the Representation of the People Act 1948 came into force, making the election process more clear and transparent.

Parish council functions focus on everyday life of the local community and, as we can see in the records they create, they mainly deal with matters relating to footpaths, village greens, allotments, bus shelters, lighting, libraries and local entertainment and leisure centres. Occasionally they deal with cases of public order disturbances and rural crime. Some look after closed churchyards and manage burial grounds after burial boards were abolished under the 1894 Act.

Hawthorn was a township in Easington ancient parish. Part of the township was incorporated into South Hetton ecclesiastical parish in 1863 and from the rest Hawthorn ecclesiastical parish was created in 1864. Hawthorn was part of Easington Rural Deanery and Easington Poor Law Union.

It became a civil parish in 1866.

Following local government reorganisation in 1894, when urban and rural districts were created, it became part of Easington Rural District Council in County Durham and remained there until 2009, when all the districts within the county were amalgamated with the County Council to create Durham County Council as a unitary authority.

The collection consists of minutes focusing on everyday life of the local community including matters relating to footpaths, village greens, wind turbines, allotments, bus shelters, lighting, libraries and local entertainment and leisure centres. Occasionally we can find matters of public order disturbances and rural crime.

Catalogue Contents