Epping was, from 1894 to 1955, a rural district

Rural district

Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...

 in the administrative county

Administrative counties of England

Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888 as the areas for which county councils were elected. Some large counties were divided into several administrative...

 of Essex

Essex

Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Formation and boundary changes

The district was formed by the Local Government Act 1894

Local Government Act 1894

The Local Government Act 1894 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level under the Local Government Act 1888...

 as successor to the Epping Rural Sanitary District

Sanitary district

Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1875 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures:*Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies...

. The rural district was governed by a directly elected rural district council (RDC), which replaced the rural sanitary authority that had comprised the poor law

Poor Law

The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...

 guardians

Board of Guardians

Boards of guardians were ad hoc authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930.-England and Wales:The boards were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish Overseers of the Poor established under the old poor law, following the recommendations...

 for the area. The council's headquarters were in the town of Epping

Epping

Epping is a small market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. It is located north-east of Loughton, south of Harlow and north-west of Brentwood....

.

Over its existence, the rural district lost territory to new urban district

Urban district

In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....

s. In 1896 Epping became a separate urban district, although Epping RDC continued to be based in the town. Loughton

Loughton

Loughton is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located between 11 and 13 miles north east of Charing Cross in London, south of the M25 and west of the M11 motorway and has boundaries with Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill...

 and Chigwell

Chigwell

Chigwell is a civil parish and town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 11.6 miles north east of Charing Cross. It is served by two London Underground stations and has a London area code.-Etymology:According to P. H...

 were constituted urban districts in 1900 and 1933 respectively.

Abolition

Epping RD was finally abolished when the New Town

New towns in the United Kingdom

Below is a list of some of the new towns in the United Kingdom created under the various New Town Acts of the 20th century. Some earlier towns were developed as Garden Cities or overspill estates early in the twentieth century. The New Towns proper were planned to disperse population following the...

 of Harlow

Harlow

Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...

 was constituted an urban district in 1955. The remainder of the rural district was merged with the neighbouring Ongar Rural District

Ongar Rural District

Ongar Rural District was a local government district in Essex, England from 1894 to 1955.. It included the small town of Chipping Ongar and the parishes surrounding it....

 to form Epping and Ongar Rural District

Epping and Ongar Rural District

Epping and Ongar Rural District was a rural district in the county of Essex, England. It was created in 1955 by the merger of the disbanded Ongar Rural District and most of the disbanded Epping Rural District, except the civil parishes of Great Parndon, Harlow, Latton, Little Parndon and...

.

Parishes

When established in 1894, Epping RD consisted of sixteen civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

es. Over the next sixty-one years the number was reduced due to both loss of territory to urban districts and amalgamation of small parishes. On abolition there were twelve parishes:

Parish	Notes
Chigwell Chigwell Chigwell is a civil parish and town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 11.6 miles north east of Charing Cross. It is served by two London Underground stations and has a London area code.-Etymology:According to P. H...	Became a separate urban district in 1933
Epping Epping Epping is a small market town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. It is located north-east of Loughton, south of Harlow and north-west of Brentwood....	Most became a separate urban district in 1896, part constituted as Epping Upland parish
Epping Upland Epping Upland Epping Upland is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district, in the county of Essex, England. Epping Upland has a church called Church of All Saints...	Created 1896 from the part of Epping not included in urban district. Part included in Harlow UD 1955.
Great Parndon Great Parndon Great Parndon was a civil parish in Essex, England, that has been absorbed by the new town of Harlow and is now an electoral ward.It had a recorded population of 18 people in 1086, rising to 41 by 1524-25...	Part included in Harlow UD 1955.
Harlow Harlow Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...	Was enlarged to become Harlow Urban district in 1955.
Latton	Abolished 1949 with area split between Harlow and North Weald Bassett
Little Parndon	Absorbed by Netteswell parish in 1949
Magdalen Laver Magdalen Laver Magdalen Laver is a village and a civil parish in the Epping Forest district, in the county of Essex, England. Magdalen Laver has a village hall and a church called St Mary Magdalen.- External links :*...
Loughton Loughton Loughton is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located between 11 and 13 miles north east of Charing Cross in London, south of the M25 and west of the M11 motorway and has boundaries with Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill...	Became a separate urban district in 1900
Matching Matching, Essex Matching is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England.The village of Matching lying on undulating land is separated from Stort valley by the parishes of Harlow and Sheering...
Nazeing Nazeing Nazeing is a parish of 3,952 lying about four miles north of Waltham Abbey, England and bounded on the west by the River Lea. Most of it is still rural, but during the past 40 years there has been a considerable development of market gardening, light industry, holiday fishing, and boating...
Netteswell	Part included in Harlow UD 1955.
North Weald Bassett North Weald Bassett North Weald Bassett is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England. It is located east of Epping, south-east of Chipping Ongar and south of Harlow....
Roydon Roydon Roydon may refer to:* the given name of Roydon Hayes , New Zealander cricketer*Roydon, Essex, English village*Roydon, King's Lynn and West Norfolk, English village*Roydon, South Norfolk, English village...	Part included in Harlow UD 1955.
Sheering Sheering Sheering is a village in Essex, located on the outskirts of Harlow. It, along with the neighbouring village of Lower Sheering, forms the Civil Parish of Sheering, part of the Epping Forest District....
Theydon Bois Theydon Bois Theydon Bois is a large residential village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the County of Essex, England. It is located 1.4 miles south of Epping, 0.85 miles northeast of Loughton and 6 miles south of Harlow.Theydon Bois is within the bounds of the M25 motorway and is situated...
Theydon Garnon Theydon Garnon Theydon Garnon is a village and a civil parish in the Epping Forest District, in the county of Essex, England.The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.- Transport :...