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Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of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

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

, England, from 1894 to 1974.

It was created in 1894 under 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...

.

In 1974 it was abolished under 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 became part of Taunton Deane

Taunton Deane

Taunton Deane is a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council is based in Taunton.The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Taunton, Wellington Urban District, Taunton Rural District,...

 district.

The parishes which were in the rural district included Ash Priors

Ash Priors

Ash Priors is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 131.-History:The parish of Ash Priors was part of the Kilmersdon Hundred,...

, Bickenhall

Bickenhall

Bickenhall is a hamlet and parish in Somerset, England, situated south east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish, which includes the hamlet of Batten's Green, has a population of 122....

, Bishop's Hull, Bishops Lydeard

Bishops Lydeard

Bishops Lydeard is a village and civil parish located in Somerset, England, bypassed, since 1967, by the A358 road and West Somerset Railway north-west of Taunton in the district of Taunton Deane...

, Burrowbridge

Burrowbridge

Burrowbridge is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Parrett and A361 road south east of Bridgwater in the Taunton Deane district on the edge of the Somerset Levels...

, Cheddon Fitzpaine

Cheddon Fitzpaine

Cheddon Fitzpaine is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the Quantock Hills north of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...

, Churchstanton

Churchstanton

Churchstanton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated within the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the River Otter south of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district.The parish has a population of 760...

, Combe Florey

Combe Florey

Combe Florey is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district, on the West Somerset Railway. The village has a population of 252...

, Comeytrowe

Comeytrowe

Comeytrowe is a civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the south western suburbs of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish has a population of 5,780...

, Corfe

Corfe

Corfe is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated below the Blackdown Hills south of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 262.-History:...

, Cothelstone

Cothelstone

Cothelstone is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the Quantock Hills six miles north of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...

, Creech St Michael

Creech St Michael

Creech St. Michael is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated three miles east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 2,464...

, Curland

Curland

Curland is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 141...

, Durston

Durston

Durston is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the A361 road north east of Taunton and south of Bridgwater in the Taunton Deane district. The parish lies on undulating ground between the lowest slopes of the Quantock Hills and the valley of the River Tone at the Curry and...

, Halse

Halse, Somerset

Halse is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 271.-History:The name of the village derives from the Old English heals meaning a neck of land....

, Hatch Beauchamp

Hatch Beauchamp

Hatch Beauchamp is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 575.-History:...

, Kingston St Mary

Kingston St Mary

Kingston St Mary is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated at the southern end of the Quantock Hills north of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...

, Lydeard St Lawrence

Lydeard St Lawrence

Lydeard St Lawrence or St Lawrence Lydiard is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 416...

, North Curry

North Curry

North Curry is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish, which includes Knapp and Lower Knapp has a population of 1,625....

, Norton Fitzwarren

Norton Fitzwarren

Norton Fitzwarren is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 2,325.-History:...

, Orchard Portman

Orchard Portman

Orchard Portman is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 150....

, Otterford

Otterford

Otterford is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is situated on the Blackdown Hills, south of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...

, Pitminster

Pitminster

Pitminster is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 929. The parish also includes the villages of Angersleigh, Blagdon or Blagdon Hill and Staplehay...

, Ruishton

Ruishton

Ruishton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Tone and A358 road east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 1,389...

, Staple Fitzpaine

Staple Fitzpaine

Staple Fitzpaine is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 151 and is within the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

, Staplegrove, Stoke St Gregory

Stoke St Gregory

Stoke St Gregory is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish has a population of 920, and includes the hamlet of Stathe.-History:...

, Stoke St Mary

Stoke St Mary

Stoke St Mary is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district.-History:The earliest recorded mention of Stoke St Mary is in a Saxon charter dated 854 AD, when a West Saxon king gave the clearly defined lands at ‘Stoc’ to the minster...

, Thornfalcon

Thornfalcon

Thornfalcon is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has 121 people. The parish includes the hamlet of Ash...

, Tolland, Somerset

Tolland, Somerset

Tolland is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north west of Taunton, between the Brendon Hills and Quantock Hills, in the Taunton Deane district. The parish has a population of 81.-History:...

, Trull

Trull

Trull is village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated near Taunton. The parish which includes Dipford has a population of 1,861.-History:The name Trull is thought to derive from the word Trendle meaning circle or wheel....

, West Bagborough

West Bagborough

West Bagborough is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 394....

, West Hatch

West Hatch

West Hatch is a hamlet and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. It has a population of 292.-History:The name of the hamlet indicates it lies to the west of Hatch Beauchamp....

 and West Monkton

West Monkton

West Monkton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north east of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The parish includes the hamlets of Monkton Heathfield, Bathpool, Burlinch and Coombe, and had a population of 2,663 at the 2001 census.-History:The charter for West...

.