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Blanco Local Board was constituted on 12January 1923 in terms of Ordinance No 11 of 1921 (The Province of Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 843 of 19 January 1923, Proclamation No 15 of 12 January 1923).

The board ceased to exist in December 1973, having been incorporated with George Municipality (The Province of Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 3755 of 14 December 1973, Proclamation No 446 of 6 December 1973).

The Municipality of George was granted Municipal Regulations on 24 March 1837 under the provisions of Ordinance 9 of 1836 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 1631 of 24 March 1937).

In terms of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998) the existing Municipality of George, Wilderness Municipality, Outeniqua Transitional Representative Council and the Bo-Langkloof Transitional Representative Council was disestablished and the George Local Municipality established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5592, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 501, 22 September 2000). The George Local Municipality forms part of the larger Garden Route (formerly Eden) District Municipality.

On 5 January 1858 the division of Mossel Bay was subdivided into six districts for divisional council purposes under provision of Act No 12 of 1857 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 2893, 8 January 1858, Proclamation of 5 January 1858).

On 1 January 1980 the Divisional Council of Mossel Bay was reconstituted together with the Divisional Councils of George and Knysna to form the amalgamated Divisional Council of Outeniqua (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 4061, 20 July 1979, Proclamation No 174, 18 July 1979).

“According to an Amended Report of the Committee appointed on 21 July 1854 taking into consideration as to places where additional Civil Commissioners and seats of Magistracy should be placed, the Governor of the Cape Colony, acting under the powers vested in him by the Act ‘For Amending and Consolidating the Laws relative to the Courts of Resident Magistrates, 1856 (Act 20 of 1856)’ , erected, constituted and established a Court of Resident Magistrate at Knysna, and declared the boundaries of the district to be as follows – On the west by the Swart River, on the North by the Outeniqua Mountains, on the East by the boundaries of the division of Uitenhage and on the South by the ocean”. The first Civil Commissioner and Magistrate was James Fichat.

On 28 February 1887 a Special Justice of the Peace was appointed at the Millwood Gold Fields in the district of Knysna. Patrick Fletcher was appointed the first Special Justice of the Peace. In the same year a Periodical Court to be held by the Magistrate of Knysna was established at Millwood. During August 1916 a Periodical Court to be held by the Magistrate of Knysna was established at Plettenberg Bay.

In January 1874 the separate forest conservancies of George, Knysna and Tsitsikamma were amalgamated under a Conservator of Forests for the entire Midland Region who had his headquarters at Knysna (John Phillips: The Forests of George, Knysna and the Zitzikama, p 99).

In 1895 an Assistant Conservator in direct charge of the Gouna and Main Forests was appointed to assist the Conservator. On 21 April 1898 with the transfer of the Conservator to the Transkeian Conservancy, the Assistant Conservator was appointed Acting Conservator and, in February 1899, Conservator (John Phillips: The Forests of George, Knysna and the Zitzikama, p 106).

As from 1 April 1932 when the Department of Forestry was reorganised, several forestal districts such as George, Concordia and Storms River, which had fallen under the control of the Conservator of Forests, Midland Conservancy, Knysna, were established as fully-fledged conservancies (Annexures to Votes and Proceedings of the House of Assembly, UG 37 – 1932, p 6).

A signal’s post, with a pilot boat and crew, was established at Knysna in 1818 after the river Knysna was proved to be a safe port.

It was, however, only in 1881 that Knysna was proclaimed a Free Port and considered fit for importation and exportation according to section 15 of Act No 10 of 1872.

Mr J Campbell acted as Examining Officer in Charge of Customs as from January 1881 and was appointed Sub-Collector, Examining Officer and Warehouse keeper on 19 December 1881.

The Resident Magistrate and Civil Commissioner also held the position of Collector of Customs.

On 7 September 1954 the Knysna Harbour was withdrawn from the jurisdiction of the South African Railways and Harbours Administration.

The Divisional Council of Knysna was constituted on 21 July 1862 in terms of Proclamation No 47 (Cape of Good Hope Government Gazette No 3379 dated 22 July 1862).

On 1 January 1980 the Divisional Council of Knysna was reconstituted together with the Divisional Councils of George and Mossel Bay to form the amalgamated Divisional Council of Outeniqua (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 4061, 20 July 1979, Proclamation No 174, 18 July 1979).