Old Ordnance Survey Maps of Flintshire


This page summarises the local government organisation of Flintshire since 1889.

  • Flintshire County Council was formed in 1889, and in 1894 a network of boroughs, urban district and rural district councils was formed across the county.
  • Flintshire had just one Municipal Borough dating from 1836: Flint.
  • From 1894 there were also 6 Urban Districts: Buckley, Connah's Quay, Holywell, Mold, Prestatyn, and Rhyl UDCs. Urban Districts had similar powers to boroughs but lacked the powers to appoint mayors or aldermen.
  • There were also 4 Rural District Councils covering the areas outside the major towns. These were: Hawarden, Holywell, Overton, and St Asaph (Flint) Rural Districts. St Asaph (Flint) was renamed St Asaph in 1935 when St Asaph (Denbigh) was abolished. Overton was renamed Maelor RDC in 1953. Most Rural Districts were initially based on the Poor Law Unions, with meetings held at the workhouse.
  • The Maelor area was an exclave, separate from the rest of the county.
  • In 1974 major reorganisation saw the boroughs, urban and rural districts abolished and Flintshire become part of a new county, Clwyd. This was an amalgamation of Denbighshire and Flintshire, together with Edeirnion RDC from Merionethshire.
  • Clwyd was a 2-tier administration with six local government districts: Alyn & Deeside (for the former Buckley and Connah's Quay UDC areas and most of Hawarden RDC); Colwyn; Delyn (for Flint borough, Holywell and Mold UDCs, and Holywell RDC); Glyndwr; Rhuddland (for the former Prestatyn and Rhyl UDC and St Asaph RDC areas); and Wrexham Maelor, which included the Maelor area of Flintshire.
  • In 1996 Clwyd was abolished and four new unitary councils formed. These were: Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, and Wrexham County Borough.
  • The new Flintshire covered a smaller area than the historic county and does not include Prestatyn, Rhyl, or St Asaph, which became part of Denbighshire, or the Maelor area, which became part of Wrexham. It is a unitary authority, with headquarters in Mold.
  • For a list of our Flintshire maps go to the Flintshire page, or for the whole of Wales go to the Wales page
  • You can order maps direct from our On-line Mapshop.
    Minor changes are not listed here, but please advise us of any significant errors or omissions.
  • Alan Godfrey Maps, Prospect Business Park, Leadgate, Consett, DH8 7PW. Tel 01207 583388
    The Godfrey Edition / sales@alangodfreymaps.co.uk / 6 January 2018