| Administrative History | From 1835 to 1930, the Boards of Guardians fulfilled poor relief functions in the county. In 1930, these functions were taken over by the Public Assistance Committee of the County Council. This continued until 1938, when the Poor Law was abolished under the National Assistance Act. The county was divided up into areas, corresponding to Rural and Urban District Council divisions:-
Scarsdale Area: Chesterfield Borough; Bolsover, Clay Cross and Dronfield Urban District Councils; Chesterfield and Clowne Rural District Councils;
Haddon Area: Bakewell and Matlock Urban District Councils; Bakewell Rural District Council;
North-West Area: Glossop and Buxton Boroughs: New Mills Urban District Council; Chapel, Glossop Dale and Hayfield Rural District Councils;
Mid-Derbyshire Area: Alfreton, Ashbourne, Belper, Ripley and Wirksworth Urban District Councils; Ashbourne and Belper Rural District Councils;
Derby Area: Derby Borough;
South-Eastern Area: Ilkeston Borough; Heanor, Long Eaton and Swadlincote Urban District Councils; Repton and South East Derbyshire Rural District Councils.
A few items in this collection (see D2755/5/1, 18/1-4, 20/1, 22/1 and 23/1-2) were inherited by Derbyshire Record Office in 1962. Those noted in this list as formerly D2215 were transferred via Eckington Library and the remainder came from storage at a former Welfare Office in Chesterfield in December 1993. Almost all relate to the Scarsdale Guardians Committee area (formerly the Chesterfield Board of Guardians' area of operation with a few from the mid-Derbyshire area. |
| Custodial History | These records were transferred to Derbyshire Record Office on three occasions and brought together under reference D2755 in Feb 1994.
1) Records found amongst the Boards of Guardians records when they were catalogued in 1984 and presumed to have been transferred by the Welfare Department to the County Records strong room prior to 1962 and inherited by the Record Office.
2) Records originally under reference D2215 and probably found in the strong room (County Hall) when it was cleared for roof repairs in 1980. There is no accession receipt or other documentation, but the Accession Registers indicates that the records were received from Eckington Public Library. Relating to districts 8 and 11 of the Scarsdale Guardians Committee Area, they had perhaps previously been at a local public assistance office.
3) The majority of the records were transferred from the basement of the Area Education Office on Newbold Road, Chesterfield (formerly Public Welfare Office) in Dec 1993. |