This had been created under the Public Health Acts of 1872 and 1875, giving public health and local government responsibilities for rural areas to the existing boards of guardians of poor law unions.

The link with the poor law union continued, with all the elected councillors of the rural district council being ex officio members of the Hatfield Board of Guardians.

[3] Hatfield Rural District contained the following civil parishes.

[1] In the early years, the Hatfield Rural District Council met at the board room in the Hatfield Union Workhouse, which stood on Wellfield Road (then called Union Lane).

[4][5] In 1930 the council moved to purpose-built offices at 16 St Albans Road in Hatfield, designed by Percival Blow.