Huntingdonshire has seen a multitude of different local authorities over the years (more so than many larger counties), and it is often difficult for a newcomer to grasp which local government bodies were active when. Fortunately, Huntingdonshire Archives staff have worked it all out for you. Below is a very simplified potted history of the various local government bodies which have operated in this area: all the names typed in bold have their own entries in the A-Z Guide, to which you can refer for more information.
Counties
Before 1889 much administrative work at county level was done by unelected JPs in the Court of Quarter Sessions. In 1889 the Court's administrative functions were taken over by a new elected body, Huntingdonshire County Council (1889-1965). In 1965 both this Council and the Soke of Peterborough County Council were abolished and replaced by a single Huntingdon and Peterborough County Council. In 1974 this too was abolished and replaced by Cambridgeshire County Council. In 1998 Peterborough and some parishes in the north of the old county (Chesterton, Alwalton and so on) were granted unitary status, becoming Peterborough City Council. It is often not realised that this new Peterborough City Council is a different body from the old Peterborough City Council (1974-1998), which was a district, not a county, level authority.
Districts
Historically, Huntingdonshire's parishes were grouped into four areas, called 'hundreds', namely Hurstingstone, Leightonstone, Norman Cross and Toseland. These hundreds formed the basis of some judicial and local government bodies, such as Petty Sessions districts. From 1835 parishes were also grouped together as poor law unions, administered by Boards of Guardians: irritatingly, the poor law union areas did not coincide with the old hundreds. The poor law union areas were further sub-divided into four sanitary districts under the 1872 Public Health Act: namely, Hurstingstone Rural Sanitary Authority, Leightonstone RSA, Norman Cross RSA and Toseland RSA. These four areas bore little relation to the old hundreds, despite their names. In 1894 these unelected rural sanitary authorities became elected rural district councils (eg. St Ives RSD was now St Ives RDC): see District Councils 1894-1974. In the Soke of Peterborough a similar process happened, with the creation of Barnack and Peterborough RDCs. Every single one of these bodies was abolished in 1974. Huntingdonshire area districts were replaced by Huntingdonshire District Council, Peterborough area ones by Peterborough City Council.
Parishes and towns
During the 17th and 18th centuries ecclesiastical parishes were the main units of local government in villages, and records of local poor relief, rates, road upkeep etc. can therefore be found in the deposited archives of Anglican churches. In 1894 parish councils were created, taking over the churches' civil responsibilities. Towns, however, operated slightly differently:
Huntingdon was confirmed as a borough in 1205. Its town corporation was replaced in 1835 by an elected council. The borough was abolished in 1961 and replaced by a new one covering both Huntingdon and Godmanchester. This was in turn abolished in 1974, and many of its responsibilities were inherited by Huntingdonshire District Council. See Huntingdon Borough; Huntingdon and Godmanchester Borough Council.
Godmanchester became a self-governing manor in 1212 and a free borough in 1604; in 1835 it gained an elected council. The borough was abolished in 1961 and replaced by a new one covering both Huntingdon and Godmanchester. This was in turn abolished in 1974, and many of its responsibilities were inherited by Huntingdonshire District Council. See Godmanchester Borough; Huntingdon and Godmanchester Borough Council.
Ramsey gained an elected Local Board in 1872, which became Ramsey Urban District Council in 1894. The UDC was abolished in 1974. See Sanitary Districts; District Councils 1894-1974.
St Ives received an Improvement Commission in 1847. The commission became St Ives Urban Sanitary Authority in 1872, which in turn became St Ives Municipal Borough in 1874. The borough was abolished in 1974. See Sanitary Districts; St Ives Borough Council.
St Neots received an Improvement Commission in 1816, which acted as the urban sanitary authority until the creation of an elected Local Board in 1876. In 1894 the Local Board became St Neots Urban District Council. The UDC was abolished in 1974. See Sanitary Districts; District Councils 1894-1974.
Peterborough received an Improvement Commission in 1790, which remained the effective unit of local government until 1874 when Peterborough was incorporated as a municipal borough. In 1974 the borough was abolished and its responsibilities were inherited by Peterborough City Council