There are 10 civil parishes in the ceremonial county of Tyne and Wear, most of the county being unparished; North Tyneside and South Tyneside are completely unparished. It is the county of England with the lowest number of civil parishes. At the 2001 census, there were 41,044 people living in the 10 parishes, accounting for 3.8 per cent of the county's population. A civil parish is the lowest unit of local government in England.
History
Parishes arose from Church of England divisions, and were originally purely ecclesiastical divisions. Over time they acquired civil administration powers.Angus Winchester, 2000, Discovering Parish Boundaries. Shire Publications. Princes Risborough, 96 pages
The Highways Act 1555 made parishes responsible for the upkeep of roads. Every adult inhabitant of the parish was obliged to work four days a year on the roads, providing their own tools, carts and horses; the work was overseen by an unpaid local appointee, the Surveyor of Highways.RAC Foundation : What Went Wrong? British Highway Development Before Motorways Retrieved 2009-08-22
The poor were looked after by the monasteries, until their dissolution. In 1572, magistrates were given power to 'survey the poor' and impose taxes for their relief. This system was made more formal by the Poor Law Act 1601, which made parishes responsible for administering the Poor Law; overseers were appointed to charge a rate to support the poor of the parish.The Victorian Web : The Poor Law : Introduction Retrieved 2009-08-22 The 19th century saw an increase in the responsibility of parishes, although the Poor Law powers were transferred to Poor Law Unions.Staffordshire University : Poor Law Unions and Registration Districts Retrieved 2009-08-22 The Public Health Act 1872 grouped parishes into Rural Sanitary Districts, based on the Poor Law Unions; these subsequently formed the basis for Rural Districts.A Vision of Britain Through Time : Status Details for Rural Sanitary District Retrieved 2009-08-22
Parishes were run by vestries, meeting annually to appoint officials, and were generally identical to ecclesiastical parishes,Robert Tittler, The Reformation and the Towns in England, 1998, Oxford University Press, 395 pages, although some townships in large parishes administered the Poor Law themselves; under the Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act 1882, all extra-parochial areas and townships that levied a separate rate became independent civil parishes.Modern British Surnames : Selected Events in the History of Civil Registration and Boundary Changes 1801-1996 Retrieved 2009-08-22
Civil parishes in their modern sense date from the Local Government Act 1894, which abolished vestries; established elected parish councils in all rural parishes with more than 300 electors; grouped rural parishes into Rural Districts; and aligned parish boundaries with county and borough boundaries. Urban civil parishes continued to exist, and were generally coterminous with the Urban District, Municipal Borough or County Borough in which they were situated; many large towns contained a number of parishes, and these were usually merged into one. Parish councils were not formed in urban areas, and the only function of the parish was to elect guardians to Poor Law Unions; with the abolition of the Poor Law system in 1930 the parishes had only a nominal existence.Alex MacMorran and T R Colquhoun Dill, The Local Government Act 1894 and the Subsequent Statutes Affecting Parish Councils, 1907, Butterworth and Co, London, 626 pages
The Local Government Act 1972 retained civil parishes in rural areas, and many former Urban Districts and Municipal Boroughs that were being abolished were replaced by new successor parishes; urban areas that were considered too large to be single parishes became unparished areas.Office of Public Sector Information : Local Government Act 1972 Retrieved 2009-08-22
The current position
Recent governments have encouraged the formation of town and parish councils in unparished areas, and the Local Government and Rating Act 1997 gave local residents the right to demand the creation of a new civil parish.Office of Public Sector Information : Local Government and Rating Act 1997 Retrieved 2009-08-22
A parish council can become a town council unilaterally, simply by resolution; and a civil parish can also gain city status, but only if that is granted by the Crown. The chairman of a town or city council is called a mayor. The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 introduced alternative names: a parish council can now choose to be called a community; village; or neighbourhood council.Office of Public Sector Information : Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 Retrieved 2009-08-22
List of civil parishes and unparished areas
Image Name Status Population District Former local authority Refs Birtley Unparished area 11,377 Gateshead Chester le StreetRural District Blaydon Unparished area 27,552 Gateshead BlaydonUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-14Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Blaydon; Chopwell and Rowlands Gill; Crawcrook and Greenside (part); and Winlaton wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Felling Unparished area 35,490 Gateshead FellingUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-24Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Felling; Leam; Pelaw and Heworth; and Wrekendyke wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Gateshead Unparished area 62,338 Gateshead GatesheadCounty Borough Retrieved 2009-09-14Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Bede; Bensham; Chowdene; Deckham; High Fell; Lamesley (part); Low Fell; Saltwell; and Teams (part) wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Lamesley Civil parish 3,928 Gateshead Chester le StreetRural District A Vision of Britain Through Time : Chester le Street Rural District Retrieved 2009-09-14Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Gateshead Retrieved 2009-09-14 Ryton Unparished area 16,626 Gateshead RytonUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-14Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Crawcrook and Greenside (part); and Ryton wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Whickham Unparished area 33,840 Gateshead WhickhamUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-14Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Dunston; Teams (part); Whickham North; and Whickham South wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Blakelaw and North Fenham Civil parish 6,468 Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon TyneCounty Borough Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Newcastle upon Tyne Retrieved 2009-09-14 Brunswick Civil parish 1,024 Newcastle upon Tyne Castle WardRural District Retrieved 2009-09-14 Dinnington Civil parish 1,710 Newcastle upon Tyne Castle WardRural District Gosforth Unparished area 22,297 Newcastle upon Tyne GosforthUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-14Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Grange; and South Gosforth wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Hazlerigg Civil parish 1,053 Newcastle upon Tyne Castle WardRural District Newburn Unparished area 41,294 Newcastle upon Tyne NewburnUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-14Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Denton; Lemington; Newburn; and Westerhope wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Newcastle upon Tyne Unparished area 174,235 Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon TyneCounty Borough Retrieved 2009-09-14Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Benwell; Blakelaw (part); Byker; Castle (part); Dene; Elswick; Fawdon; Fenham; Heaton; Jesmond; Kenton; Monkchester; Moorside; Sandyford; Scotswood; West City; Walker; Walkergate; and Wingrove wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 North Gosforth Civil parish 3,527 Newcastle upon Tyne Castle WardRural District Woolsington Civil parish 7,928 Newcastle upon Tyne Castle WardRural District Earsdon Unparished area 10,129 North Tyneside Seaton ValleyUrban District A Vision of Britain Through Time : Seaton Valley Urban District Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Valley ward. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Longbenton Unparished area 47,414 North Tyneside LongbentonUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Benton; Camperdown; Holystone; Longbenton; and Weetslade wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Tynemouth Unparished area 55,759 North Tyneside TynemouthCounty Borough Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Chirton; Collingwood; Cullercoats; North Shields; Riverside (part); Seatonville (part); and Tynemouth wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Wallsend Unparished area 42,842 North Tyneside WallsendMunicipal Borough Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Battle Hill; Howdon; Northumberland; Riverside (part); and Wallsend wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Whitley Bay Unparished area 35,515 North Tyneside Whitley BayMunicipal Borough Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Monkseaton; Seatonville (part); St Mary's; and Whitley Bay wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Boldon Unparished area 46,508 South Tyneside BoldonUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Biddick Hall; Boldon Colliery; Cleadon and East Boldon; Fellgate and Hedworth; Whitburn and Marsden (part); and Whiteleas wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Hebburn Unparished area 21,820 South Tyneside HebburnUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Hebburn Quay; Hebburn South; Monkton (part); and Primrose (part) wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Jarrow Unparished area 16,046 South Tyneside JarrowMunicipal Borough A Vision of Britain Through Time : Jarrow Municipal Borough Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Bede; Monkton (part); and Primrose (part) wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 South Shields Unparished area 68,411 South Tyneside South ShieldsCounty Borough Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population All Saints; Beacon and Bents; Cleadon Park; Harton; Horsley Hill; Rekendyke; Tyne Dock and Simonside; West Park; Westoe; and Whitburn and Marsden (part) wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Burdon Civil parish 971 Sunderland EasingtonRural District Retrieved 2009-09-16Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Sunderland Retrieved 2009-09-16 Hetton Town 14,402 Sunderland HettonUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-16 Houghton le Spring Unparished area 33,179 Sunderland Houghton le SpringUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Eppleton (part); Houghton; and Shiney Row wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Sunderland Unparished area 176,768 Sunderland SunderlandCounty Borough Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Castletown; Central; Colliery; Fulwell; Grindon; Hendon; Pallion; Ryhope (part); Silksworth; South Hylton; Southwick; St Chad's; St Michael's; St Peter's; Thorney Close; Thornholme; and Town End Farm wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26 Warden Law Civil parish 33 Sunderland EasingtonRural District Washington Unparished area 55,454 Sunderland WashingtonUrban District Retrieved 2009-09-15Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Table KS01 : Usual Resident Population Washington East; Washington North; Washington South; and Washington West wards. Retrieved 2009-08-26
See also