Papers of Letterkenny Rural District Council

Repository: Donegal County Archives

Identity Statement

TitlePapers of Letterkenny Rural District Council
Archive ReferenceIE DON RDC 6
Web Link to this Entryhttps://iar.ie/archive/papers-letterkenny-rural-district-council
Creation Dates1899-1925
Extent Medium30 items

Context

Creator(s): Letterkenny Rural District Council.

  • Administrative History ↴

    Rural District Councils were established under the 1898 Local Government (Ireland) Act and took over many of the functions of the Boards of Guardians. In Donegal, there were ten rural district councils, Ballyshannon, Donegal, Dunfanaghy, Glenties, Inishowen, Letterkenny, Milford, Strabane No. 2, Stranorlar, Londonderry No. 2. The functions of the RDC's included responsibility for housing, water and sewerage and roads. RDC's were abolished in 1925 and their functions merged into the County Council and newly established Donegal Board of Health and Public Assistance.
  • Archival History ↴

    The papers of Letterkenny Rural District Council were held at the Courthouse in Lifford until the establishment of Donegal County Archives in 1999.
  • Immediate Source Acquisition ↴

    Official Transfer

Content & Structure

  • Scope & Content: Letterkenny Rural District Council. ↴

    Included are the Minutes of the meetings of Letterkenny Rural District Council. The minutes are generally indexed by function and names. Includes minutes of the meetings held under the Public Health Acts as the Rural District Council acted as the Public Sanitary Authority. The minutes record decisions taken by the Council with regard to their responsibilities in the areas of water supply, public nuisances, dwellings, sanitary inspections, contagious diseases, sewerage; as well as the building and rent of cottages for farm labourers under the labourers acts; the building and repair of roads, bridges and fences. Included are the minutes of Financial Committees, including statements of receipts, usually monthly, accounts, salaries, expenditure, etc. Minutes also include decisions taken on matters such as motions from other local authorities, school attendance, rates, burial boards, malicious injuries claims, and liaisons with the Congested Districts Boards. (RDC/6/1/1 – RDC/6/1/16).

    Other material in this collection includes:
    – Register of quarterly and half yearly meetings relating to decisions on tenders for building, repair and maintenance of roads and bridges and general infrastructure; and receipt of reports from county surveyors, 1899 – 1922 (RDC/6/1/16);

    -Minutes of the National Benefit Committee, Letterkenny branch, giving names of those present. The committee’s function was to arrange payment of outdoor relief, to contribute to payments for boarding out children, and to assist payment to the district nurse; 1922 – 1923 (RDC/6/2/3);

    -Register of Mortgages, giving the date of legal deed, parties, purpose for which mortgage was given, for example, ‘erecting labourers’ cottages’, the amount secured by the mortgage, the dates when instalments were received, the amount of each instalment, the mode of repayment, the date when the mortgage was finally discharged, and observations, 1902 – 1946 (RDC/6/2/5);

    -Annual Estimate and Demand registers, giving details of the District Council’s projected expenses for each year, broken down into burial ground, labourers’ acts, sanitary expenses, superannuation, hospital, elections, repayment of loans etc., 1899 – 1923 (RDC/6/2/6 – RDC/6/2/7).

  • Appraisal Destruction ↴

    Permanent Retention
  • Accruals ↴

    No further accruals expected.
  • Arrangement ↴

    The collection is arranged in the following order: Minutes of meetings; other material.

Conditions of Access & Use

Access Conditions Full access.
Conditions Governing ReproductionPhotocopying of volumes not permitted. Digitisation allowed under certain circumstances.
Creation Dates1899-1925
Extent Medium30 items
Material Language ScriptEnglish
Characteristics Tech ReqThe collection is in good condition.
Finding Aids Descriptive list Archive Web Link →

Allied Materials

Originals InformationHeld at Donegal County Archives.
Copies InformationNot copied.

Descriptive Control Area

Archivist NoteNiamh Brennan
Rules/ConventionsISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottawa: International Council on Archives, 2000.
Date of Descriptions36465