Northumberland County Council

Elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over administrative functions previously carried out by unelected magistrates at the quarter sessions. The city of Newcastle upon Tyne had been a county corporate since 1400 with its own quarter sessions, and Newcastle's independence from the county was maintained by making it a county borough. The county council was elected by and provided services to the remainder of the county, which area was termed the administrative county. Berwick-upon-Tweed was also a county corporate, but was not considered large enough to provide its own county-level services. It was therefore included in the administrative…