Status details for Civil Parish

Full Description:

Civil Parishes were created with the election of parochial boards in most parishes between 1845 and 1860. They were a local government unit with only civil responsibilities. They were founded anytime after the sixteenth century, most commonly between 1845 and 1975. Until 1930 civil parishes were defined as 'areas for which a separate poor rate is or can be assessed'. Many boundaries between civil and ecclesiastical parishes diverged after 1845. For instance, civil parishes were often previously subordinate areas of a mother parish known as hamlets, tithings, townships, chapelries or lordships. Many of these areas had individual poor law rates and to avoid confusion the Poor Law Amendment Act 1866 (29 & 30 Vict., c 113) stipulate that these were to be given the status of 'parishes'.