Thurrock Urban District

Thurrock was a local government district and civil parish in south Essex, England from 1936 to 1974.

Thurrock
Urban district
Thurrock within Essex in 1961
Area
• 1936	38,324 acres (155.09 km2)
• 1974	40,552 acres (164.11 km2)
• Coordinates	51.50°N 0.35°E / 51.50; 0.35
Area transferred
• 1938	Part of Little Burstead from Billericay Urban District
Population
• 1939	63,431
• 1971	125,058
Density
• 1939	1.61/acre
• 1971	3.08/acre
History
• Origin	Grays Urban District Orsett Rural District Purfleet Urban District Tilbury Urban District
• Created	1936
• Abolished	1974
• Succeeded by	Thurrock District
Status	Urban district
Government	Thurrock Urban District Council
• HQ	Council Offices, Grays
Today part of	Thurrock with parts in Basildon

Background

The district was created as a consequence of the Local Government Act 1929, which compelled county councils to review county districts and make recommendations for changes to the Minister of Health for approval. The subject of amalgamation of riverside parishes was not new, with an unsuccessful proposal in 1911 to expand Grays Urban District to include Chadwell St Mary, Little Thurrock, West Thurrock and part of Stifford.^[1] In March 1931, Essex County Council convened a conference of local authorities in the area to solicit their views. The council suggested the breaking up of Orsett Rural District and the enlargement of the existing urban districts of Purfleet (gaining North Ockendon) and Grays Thurrock (gaining Stifford and part of Little Thurrock). Tilbury urban district would be absorbed by a new Orsett urban district formed from the remainder of the rural district. The proposals met with objections from the local authorities. An inquiry was held in November 1932 and the Minister of Health suggested the creation of a new "Riverside" urban district covering the whole area. The county council submitted revised proposals along these lines on 4 October 1933, calling the new district "Orsett". A further local enquiry was held in November 1933 and the changes were approved in December, with the suggestion from the minister that new district should be called "Thurrock". Purfleet Urban District Council took legal action in an attempt to prevent the changes and revert to the earlier scheme, ultimately taking the case to the House of Lords without success.^[2]

History

The parish and urban district was formed from the former area of the following civil parishes which had been abolished in 1936:^[3]

• From Grays Thurrock Urban District:
  • Grays Thurrock
• From Orsett Rural District:
  • Bulphan
  • Corringham
  • East Tilbury
  • Fobbing
  • Horndon-on-the-Hill
  • Langdon Hills
  • Little Thurrock
  • Mucking
  • North Ockendon^[a]
  • Orsett
  • Stanford-le-Hope
  • Stifford
  • West Tilbury
• From Purfleet Urban District:
  • Aveley
  • South Ockendon
  • West Thurrock
• From Tilbury Urban District:
  • Chadwell St Mary

The district was enlarged in 1938 by gaining part of the former Little Burstead parish from Billericay Urban District. The district was abolished in 1974. The part within Basildon New Town became part of Basildon District, while the remainder became the present-day Borough of Thurrock. It has since become a unitary authority with largely the same boundaries.

Notes

1. Part of North Ockendon had been transferred to the Cranham parish and Hornchurch Urban District in 1935

References

1. "Riverside Amalagamation". Essex Chronicle. 24 February 1911. p. 5.
2. "Purfleet's Appeal to the House of Lords". Essex Chronicle. 25 October 1935. p. 12.
3. Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Vol. I: Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0-901050-67-9.

External links

• Historic boundaries - A Vision of Britain
• Unit data - A Vision of Britain