The rural district council continued to be based at Abingdon, holding meetings in the workhouse of the poor law union.

Rural sanitary districts in the remaining rural areas of poor law unions.

In 1838 Ireland was divided into poor law unions, each consisting of a geographical area based on a workhouse.

These poor law unions formed the basis of rural sanitary districts in 1875.

But when great modern cities spring up, you need courts of law, unions and government oversight.

The districts were not innovations, however, but were identical to the poor law unions already in existence.

Registration counties were formed for statistical purposes in a similar manner by the grouping of poor law unions.

It was originally an electoral division in the Thurles poor law union but is still used for various administrative purposes.

Matching became part of Epping poor law union in 1836.

A local act could be used to join the extra-parochial area to a poor law union or parish if the guardians agreed.