A workhouse to serve the area was built at Bulcamp in the parish of Blythburgh, opening in 1766.

[1] In 1872, sanitary districts were established, with responsibility for public health and local government given to the boards of guardians of poor law unions for areas without urban authorities.

The Blything Rural Sanitary District therefore covered the area of the Blything Poor Law Union except for the parish of Southwold, which was a municipal borough and so formed its own urban sanitary district.

[5] Two urban districts were subsequently created out of parishes within Blything: Leiston cum Sizewell in 1895 and Halesworth in 1900.

In 1934, under a County Review Order, Blything Rural District was abolished.