Chelmsford was a local government district in Essex, England from 1894 to 1974. It surrounded, but did not include, the town of Chelmsford; which formed a municipal borough.
It was formed as a rural district in 1894, based on the Chelmsford rural sanitary district. It included the parishes of:
- Boreham
- Broomfield
- Buttsbury
- Chignall
- Danbury
- East Hanningfield
- Good Easter
- Great Baddow
- Great Leighs
- Great Waltham
- Highwood
- Ingatestone and Fryerning
- Little Baddow
- Little Leighs
- Little Waltham
- Margaretting
- Mashbury
- Pleshy
- Rettendon
- Roxwell
- Runwell
- Sandon
- South Hanningfield
- Springfield
- Stock
- West Hanningfield
- Widford
- Woodham Ferrers
- Writtle
During 1934 there were some changes to the district boundary. The municipal borough of Chelmsford expanded and gained 1,659 acres (7 km2) from the rural district, including parts of the parishes of Broomfield, Springfield, Widford, and Writtle. At the same time 1,282 acres (5 km2) were transferred from Buttsbury parish to form part of Billericay Urban District. Later that year, an area of 6,128 acres (25 km2), made up of Mountnessing and parts of the parishes of Downham, Ramsden Bellhouse, Ramsden Crays and Shenfield, was gained from the abolished Billericay Rural District. Also at this time 274 acres (1 km2) was gained from the parish of Hockley in Rochford Rural District.
The district was abolished in 1974 and its former area was merged with the municipal borough of Chelmsford to form the current non-metropolitan district of Chelmsford, which inherited the borough charter. The parishes of Ingatestone and Fryerning and Mountnessing became part of the district of Brentwood.
Famous quotes containing the words rural and/or district:
“Some bring a capon, some a rural cake,
Some nuts, some apples; some that think they make
The better cheeses bring ‘em, or else send
By their ripe daughters, whom they would commend
This way to husbands, and whose baskets bear
An emblem of themselves in plum or pear.”
—Ben Jonson (1572–1637)
“Most works of art, like most wines, ought to be consumed in the district of their fabrication.”
—Rebecca West (1892–1983)