Identity Statement
| Title | Youghal Rural District Council |
| Archive Reference | IE CCCA/RDC163 |
| Web Link to this Entry | https://iar.ie/archive/youghal-rural-district-council |
| Creation Dates | 1899-1925 |
| Extent Medium | 20 volumes, 4 files |
Context
Creator(s): Youghal Rural District Council
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Administrative History ↴
Rural District Councils were established under the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898. This Act removed the fiscal powers of the County Grand Juries in respect of roads and public works, transferring them to the new County Councils and RDCs. The Act also reorganised the functions of the Boards of Guardians. The RDCs became responsible for the sanitary functions of the Boards of Guardians in designated rural districts and also became responsible for the provision of housing in rural areas.The RDCs were not in existence for an extensive period of time. Under the Free State Government local government in Ireland was reorganised in an attempt to reduce the number of diverse authorities responsible for services. Under the Local Government Act, 1925, the RDCs were themselves abolished and their duties were transferred to the County Councils. Chairmen of RDCs sat on County Councils, which approved estimates of expenditure and performed other functions in respect of RDCs. Despite Youghal and its surrounding district having always been part of County Cork, Youghal RDC, for administrative purposes, came within the scope of Waterford County Council. Following the abolition of RDCs, Youghal and the surrounding district came under Cork County Council. -
Archival History ↴
The records were originally maintained by the Waterford County Archives Service, where they were listed in 1999 by Joanne Rothwell, County Archivist. Ms Rothwell facilitated the subsequent transfer of the records to Cork Archives Institute (now Cork City and County Archives), in recognition of their status as Cork-related records. -
Immediate Source Acquisition ↴
Official Transfer
Content & Structure
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Scope & Content: Youghal Rural District Council ↴
The collection consists primarily of minute books recording meetings of Youghal Rural District Council (UDC163/1-16). Also present are minutes of quarterly meetings with the County Surveyor (UDC163/17-18), sanitary sub-officer reports (UDC163/19), one rent collection book (UDC163/20), and a number of files of letters relating to meetings and the work of the Council (UDC163/21-24).
The minute books record proceedings at meetings and the names of councillors present. They include reports by the Clerk on the execution of orders, and financial minutes. These latter document burial ground expenses, receipts, and burial fees, and labourers’ cottages rents, monthly abstracts of cottage rent collection, and a summary of the Treasurer’s accounts. The minutes also record orders of the Local Government Board and letters sent to and received from that body. Minutes of meetings held as a Sanitary Authority under the Public Health Acts are recorded separately within volumes. These minutes include reports from the Medical Officers of Health, and note sanitary work performed, returns of duties performed by sanitary sub-officers, accounts of expenses under the sanitary acts, and related correspondence. Distinct minutes are also kept of meetings of the Council as a Sanitary Authority under the Labourers (Ireland) Acts, 1883-1896, and under the Burial Grounds (Ireland) Act, 1856. Minutes are signed by the Chairman and the Clerk. The minutes for 1925 are typewritten, and were inserted into the last volume (UDC163/16). The final minutes recorded are those for 15 June 1925.
The records provide evidence of the exercise of democratic local government and of the services provided by the Rural District Council. Detailed social and economic information is provided in relation to the provision of sanitary and public health services as well as the provision of labourers’ cottages. Also included are the sensitive reports of Medical Health Officers. These in particular document the role of RDCs in reducing the occurrence of disease and poor health among the population of Ireland.
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Appraisal Destruction ↴
Permanent Retention -
Accruals ↴
None expected -
Arrangement ↴
A: (1-16) Minute Books, 1899-1925
B: (17-18) Minutes of Quarterly Meetings with the County Surveyor, 1901-24
C: (19) Sanitary Sub-Officer Report Book, 1901-16
D: (20) Labourers’ Acts Rent Collection Book, 1899-1925
E: (21-24) Letters relating to meetings and the work of the Council, 1903-21
Conditions of Access & Use
| Access Conditions | Open by appointment to those holding a current reader’s ticket. The reports of the Medical Health Officers regarding supervision and investigation of sanitation in the local area can contain information of a private nature. Researchers are, therefore, requested to respect the privacy of individuals mentioned in the Minute Books and take care in ensuring that no breach of privacy occurs in producing material from study of the Minute Books. |
| Conditions Governing Reproduction | Subject to rules governing reproduction of records of CCCA |
| Creation Dates | 1899-1925 |
| Extent Medium | 20 volumes, 4 files |
| Material Language Script | English |
| Finding Aids | Descriptive List Archive Web Link → |
Allied Materials
| Related Material | CCCA: BG163 Records of Youghal Poor Law Union, 1848-1924 CC/CO/M Minutes of Cork County Council, 1899-1993 SCBH/BPA Boards of Health and Public Assistance, South Cork Health District, minutes, 1925-43 YTR Records of Youghal Corporation, 1375-1841 U138 Youghal Town Commissioners and Urban District Council, [c1900-60] HC Hodnett Youghal. Legal papers including many UDC and RDC documents |
Descriptive Control Area
| Archivist Note | Joanne Rothwell, 1999. Timmy O Connor, 2010. |
| Rules/Conventions | ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. 2nd ed. Ottowa: International Council on Archives, 2000. |
| Date of Descriptions | 2010 |