Startforth Rural District was a rural district in the North Riding of the historic county of Yorkshire in the Pennines of northern England. It was formed in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894. It constituted the part of the Teesdale Rural Sanitary District that was in the North Riding (the rest being in County Durham). In 1974, the district was abolished and formed part of the Teesdale district of the non-metropolitan county of County Durham. It comprised the area south of the River Tees between Cow Green Reservoir and Gainford, and north of the modern administrative border between County Durham and North Yorkshire. The area is hilly and fairly sparsely populated. Places within it included; Villages Barningham Boldron Bowbank Bowes Brignall Cotherstone Gilmonby Grassholme Greta Bridge Hutton Magna Holwick Hunderthwaite Hury Lartington Mickleton Ovington Romaldkirk Scargill Startforth Thringarth Wycliffe Dales Baldersdale Deep Dale Lunedale Teesdale (south side only) Reservoirs and lakes Balderhead Blackton Fish Lake Grassholme Hury Selset Fells and moors Barningham Moor Bowes Moor Cotherstone Moor Cronkley Fell Holwick Fell Hope Moor Hunderthwaite Moor Lune Moor Mickle Fell Scargill High Moor Sleightholme Moor Forests Lune Stainmore Rivers and becks River Balder Deepdale Beck River Greta Roads A66 A67 B6276 B6277 The Pennine Way also passes through the area. External links A Vision of Britain Through Time : Startforth Rural District History of County Durham History of North Yorkshire Districts of England abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 Districts of England created by the Local Government Act 1894 Rural districts of the North Riding of Yorkshire