List of rural and urban districts in Northern Ireland
# List of rural and urban districts in Northern Ireland

The urban and rural districts of Northern Ireland were created 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. (See List of Irish local government areas 1898–1921 for a historical list of districts in all of Ireland.)

At the time of Northern Ireland's creation in 1921, Ireland as a whole was divided into thirty-three administrative counties and six county boroughs; the administrative counties were in turn subdivided into several boroughs, urban districts, and rural districts. Each district was divided into a number of district electoral divisions. Northern Ireland received a total of six administrative counties, together with the county boroughs of Belfast and Derry. The six administrative counties all included a number of urban and rural districts in 1921, but no boroughs.

## Evolution and reform

Urban District Councils could petition for a charter of incorporation, changing the status of the urban district to that of a Borough. The following districts became boroughs in this way:

* Bangor by letters patent dated 30 December 1927, taking effect on 23 January 1928;
* Coleraine by letters patent dated 29 December 1928, taking effect on 23 January 1929;
* Newtownards by letters patent dated 8 November 1937, taking effect on 23 May 1938;
* Ballymena by letters patent dated 21 December 1937, taking effect on 23 May 1939;
* Larne by letters patent dated 15 November 1938, taking effect on 23 May 1939;
* Portadown by letters patent dated 24 July 1947, taking effect on 2 October 1947;
* Enniskillen by letters patent dated 29 April 1949, taking effect on 30 May 1949;
* Carrickfergus by letters patent dated 27 May 1949, taking effect on 1 July 1949;
* Lurgan by letters patent dated 27 May 1949, taking effect on 7 July 1949; and
* Lisburn by letters patent dated 24 March 1964, taking effect on 2 June 1964.

A small number of districts were abolished or created after 1921.

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

## Urban and rural districts by administrative county

### County Antrim

| Name of district | Changes between 1921 and 1973 | Successor district(s) in 1973 |
| - | - | - |
| Antrim Rural District | | Antrim, Ballymena, Belfast City Council, Lisburn, Newtownabbey |
| Ballycastle Rural District | | Moyle |
| Ballycastle Urban District | | Moyle |
| Ballyclare Urban District | | Newtownabbey |
| Ballymena Rural District | | Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney |
| Ballymena Urban District | Reconstituted as a borough in 1939 | Ballymena |
| Ballymoney Rural District | | Ballymoney, Coleraine, Moyle |
| Ballymoney Urban District | | Ballymoney |
| Belfast Rural District | Abolished in 1958 | |
| Carrickfergus Urban District | Reconstituted as a borough in 1949 | Carrickfergus |
| Larne Rural District | | Carrickfergus, Larne, Moyle, Newtownabbey |
| Larne Urban District | Reconstituted as a borough in 1939 | Larne |
| Lisburn Rural District | | Belfast City Council, Craigavon, Lisburn |
| Lisburn Urban District | Reconstituted as a borough in 1964 | Lisburn |
| Newtownabbey Urban District | Created in 1958 | Belfast, Newtownabbey |
| Portrush Urban District | | Coleraine |
| Whitehead Urban District | Established on 1 April 1927 from part of Larne RD, by virtue of the Whitehead Urban District Order, 1926 | Carrickfergus |

### County Armagh

| Name of district | Changes between 1921 and 1973 | Successor district(s) in 1973 |
| - | - | - |
| Armagh Rural District | | Armagh, Craigavon, Dungannon |
| Armagh Urban District | | Armagh |
| Craigavon Urban District | Created in 1967§ | Craigavon |
| Keady Urban District | | Armagh |
| Lurgan Rural District | Abolished in 1967§ | |
| Lurgan Urban District | Reconstituted as a borough in 1949 | Craigavon |
| Newry No. 2 Rural District | | Armagh, Newry and Mourne |
| Portadown Urban District | Reconstituted as a borough in 1947 | Craigavon |
| Tandragee Rural District | | Armagh, Craigavon |
| Tandragee Urban District | | Armagh |

§ Lurgan Rural District was abolished on 1 April 1967, and a small part transferred to Lurgan Borough. The rest was assigned to the new Craigavon Urban District, but Craigavon Development Commission rather than Lurgan Rural District Council became Craigavon Urban District Council.

### County Down

| Name of district | Changes between 1921 and 1973 | Successor district(s) in 1973 |
| - | - | - |
| Banbridge Rural District | | Banbridge |
| Banbridge Urban District | | Banbridge |
| Bangor Urban District | Reconstituted as a borough in 1928 | North Down |
| Castlereagh Rural District | | Belfast, Castlereagh, North Down |
| Donaghadee Urban District | | Ards |
| Downpatrick Urban District | Created in 1925 from part of Downpatrick RD, by virtue of the Downpatrick Urban District Order, 1924 | Down |
| Dromore Urban District | | Banbridge |
| East Down Rural District | Known as Downpatrick Rural District before 1 January 1962 | Ards, Down |
| Hillsborough Rural District | | Banbridge, Belfast, Castlereagh, Down, Lisburn |
| Holywood Urban District | | North Down |
| Kilkeel Urban District | Created in 1937 from part of Kilkeel Rural District, by virtue of the Kilkeel Urban District Order, 1936 | Newry and Mourne |
| Moira Rural District | | Banbridge, Craigavon, Lisburn |
| Newcastle Urban District | | Down |
| Newry Urban District | | Newry and Mourne |
| Newry No. 1 Rural District | | Banbridge, Newry and Mourne |
| Newtownards Urban District | Reconstituted as a borough in 1938 | Ards |
| North Down Rural District (offices in Newtownards) | Known as Newtownards Rural District before 1 August 1954 | Ards, Castlereagh, Down, North Down |
| South Down Rural District (offices in Kilkeel) | Known as Kilkeel Rural District before 4 July 1966 | Down, Newry and Mourne |
| Warrenpoint Urban District | | Newry and Mourne |

### County Fermanagh

| Name of district | Changes between 1921 and 1973 | Successor district(s) in 1973 |
| - | - | - |
| Enniskillen Urban District | Reconstituted as a borough in 1949; abolished in 1967† | Fermanagh |
| Enniskillen Rural District | Abolished in 1967† | Fermanagh |
| Irvinestown Rural District | Abolished in 1967† | Fermanagh |
| Lisnaskea Rural District | Abolished in 1967† | Fermanagh |

† All district councils in Fermanagh were abolished in 1968, merging with Fermanagh County Council to create a unitary county council.

### County Londonderry

| Name of district | Changes between 1921 and 1973 | Successor district(s) in 1973 |
| - | - | - |
| Coleraine Rural District | | Coleraine, Magherafelt |
| Coleraine Urban District | Reconstituted as a borough in 1929 | Coleraine |
| Limavady Rural District | | Limavady |
| Limavady Urban District | | Limavady, Londonderry† |
| Londonderry Rural District | Reconstituted as an Urban District in 1969‡ | Londonderry† |
| Magherafelt Rural District | | Cookstown, Magherafelt |
| Portstewart Urban District | | Coleraine |

† The district is now known as Derry.

‡ In 1969 Londonderry Rural District was redesignated as Londonderry Urban District, its council was abolished, and its municipal governance transferred to the Londonderry Development Commission, which had also replaced the corporation of Londonderry County Borough (which the rural district surrounded).

### County Tyrone

| Name of district | Successor district(s) in 1973 |
| - | - |
| Castlederg Rural District | Omagh, Strabane |
| Clogher Rural District | Dungannon, Omagh |
| Cookstown Rural District | Cookstown |
| Cookstown Urban District | Cookstown |
| Dungannon Rural District | Dungannon |
| Dungannon Urban District | Dungannon |
| Omagh Rural District | Fermanagh, Omagh, Strabane |
| Omagh Urban District | Omagh |
| Strabane Rural District | Strabane |
| Strabane Urban District | Strabane |

## Sources

* 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).
