Monmouthshire County Council Records

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Scope and Content

Records of Monmouthshire County Council, 1889-1974.

Administrative / Biographical History

The county of Monmouthshire was created in 1536 from several medieval Marcher lordships. Until the late 19th century the judicial and many administrative functions within the county were carried out by the Justices of the Peace, meeting in Quarter Sessions. However following the Local Government Act 1888 their administrative responsibilities were transferred to the new Monmouthshire County Council. The Council initially served the whole of the county but in 1892 Newport was made a County Borough and thus became administratively separate. The County Council was responsible for a variety of services including roads and bridges, general planning issues, the fire service, weights and measures, entertainment licensing, childcare, education (from 1902), health, housing, car licensing and (from 1930) public assistance and social welfare. The Council was composed of a chairman, aldermen and councillors. Council elections took place every three years. The councillors then elected a chairman and a vice-chairman and also chose one third of their number to be aldermen (serving for six years). The work of the council was divided among various committees. The Council employed several officers, usually heading their own department with their own staff. These officers included a Clerk, Treasurer, Medical Officer of Health, Surveyor and Chief Education Officer. Monmouthshire County Council was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 and was replaced by Gwent County Council.

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Note

Compiled by Rhys Jones for the ANW project. The following sources were used in the compilation of this description: Gwent Record Office, Monmouthshire County Council, 1889-1974, catalogue; Jackson, W. Eric, The Structure of Local Government in England and Wales (London: Longmans, 1949); Collis, Kim, West Glamorgan Archive Service - A Guide to the Collections (West Glamorgan Archive Service, 1998).