Maelor was 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Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of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 of Flintshire

Flintshire (historic)

Flintshire , also known as the County of Flint, is one of thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which mostly lies on the north east coast of Wales....

, Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

, from 1894 to 1974. The area approximated to the hundred of Maelor

Maelor

Maelor is a border area of north-east Wales. It originated as a Cantref of the Kingdom of Powys, focused on Bangor-on-Dee.-History:The Maelor was first divided from the rest of Wales by the construction of Offa's Dyke in the eighth century, but was reclaimed for Wales during the reign of Stephen...

 or Maelor Saesneg, and was notable for forming a detached part of the county, surrounded by Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

, Denbighshire

Denbighshire (historic)

Historic Denbighshire is one of thirteen traditional counties in Wales, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which covers an area in north east Wales...

 and Shropshire

Shropshire

Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...

.

The district was formed as Overton Rural District 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...

 from the Flintshire parishes of Ellesmere

Ellesmere

-Places:* Ellesmere, Shropshire, a market town in Shropshire, England** Ellesmere Castle** Ellesmere Rural, a civil parish to the west* Ellesmere Park, area of Eccles, Greater Manchester, England* Ellesmere Port, an industrial town in Cheshire, England...

, Whitchurch

Whitchurch, Shropshire

Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...

 and Wrexham

Wrexham

Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...

 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...

s. It was renamed as Maelor Rural District in 1953. It consisted of eleven civil parishes:

• Bangor Is Coed
• Bettisfield
• Bronington
  Bronington
  Bronington is a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. The community has an area of 3,482 hectares and a population of 1,228 ....
  
  
• Halghton
• Hanmer
  Hanmer
  Hanmer is a village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. At the 2001 Census the population of the Hanmer community area, which includes Hanmer village itself, Horseman's Green and Arowry along with a number of small hamlets,...
  
  
• Iscoyd
  Isycoed
  Isycoed is a local government community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.It lies around 5 miles to the east of Wrexham on the border with England.There is a primary school in Bowling Bank, and a late-Georgian church, dedicated to St...
  
  
• Overton
  Overton
  -People:* Constantine Overton* David M. Overton* Doug Overton* Edward Overton, Jr. , United States representative from Pennsylvania* Elli Overton* Frank Overton* Guy Overton* Hall Overton* Iain Overton...
  
  
• Penley
  Penley
  Penley is a village in the County Borough of Wrexham, in Wales close to the border with Shropshire, EnglandThe village was, until 1974, in an exclave of the ancient county of Flintshire known as Maelor Saesneg. , sometimes called "Flintshire Detached", which was administered from Overton-on-Dee...
  
  
• Tybroughton
• Willington
  Willington
  Willington may refer to:In England:* Willington, Bedfordshire* Willington, Cheshire* Willington, County Durham** Willington F.C., football club* Willington, Derbyshire* Willington, Kent* Willington, Tyne and Wear* Willington, Warwickshire...
  
  
• Worthenbury

The district was abolished in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972

Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

, when it was merged into Wrexham Maelor

Wrexham Maelor

Wrexham Maelor was one of six local government districts of the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales, from 1974 to 1996.It was formed from parts of the administrative counties of Denbighshire and Flintshire....

, one of six districts of the new County of Clwyd

Clwyd

Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...

.