Local government

Local government records for Portsmouth and Southampton are held in those cities and for Bournemouth and Christchurch at Dorset History Centre. Records for the Isle of Wight are held at Isle of Wight Record Office (however records of pre 1890 county government are within Hampshire Quarter Sessions.

County Council records

Responsibilities have included repair of roads and bridges, supervision of prisons and asylums, public works, the police force and licensing.

  • Hampshire Quarter Sessions order books are the formal record of the Quarter Sessions court and date from 1607 to 1967, catalogue prefix Q1
  • Hampshire Quarter Sessions minute books are the rough minutes of the proceedings of the court and date from 1559 to 1971 (with large gaps), catalogue prefix Q3
  • Hampshire County Council reports and proceedings are the published record of the meetings of the full council and committee reports submitted to it. Catalogue prefixes are H/CX12 (from 1889), H/CZ13 (from 1974) and H/CY1/1 (from 2001).

Borough council records

Andover

Records date from 1205. From 1974, Andover became part of Test Valley Borough Council. Town council minutes date from 1642, catalogue prefixes 37M85/4/MI to 1835, 37M85/5/MI to 1931 and 29M75/DB to 1973.

Basingstoke

Records date from 1284. Town council proceedings date from 1641, catalogue prefixes 148M71/1/3 to 1973 and 67M98/A thereafter

Winchester

Records date from c1155.

  • Ordinance books record the orders of the borough mote from 1552 to 1835, catalogue prefix W/B1
  • Corporation minute books record the proceedings of the borough mote and, from 1835 to 1973, the city council, catalogue prefix W/B2
  • City/district council minutes from 1974, catalogue prefix W/B10/1

District council records

Created in 1895, district councils were set up in areas which were outside the control of a borough. Responsibilities include housing, planning, rating, refuse collection and roads. They also took over pre-existing burial boards, highway boards, boards of health and sanitary authorities.

Parish council records

Around 250 civil parish councils were established in 1894 to take over administrative functions of the parish. Responsibilities can include allotments, burial grounds, drainage, lighting, planning, recreation, street furniture and village halls.

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