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The Divisional Council of Worcester was proclaimed on 12 July 1855 in terms of Act No 5 of 1855.

According to the requirements of the said act, the division was divided into six districts, comprising various field-cornetcies including Tulbagh, Twenty-Four Rivers, Breede River and the Cold and Warm Bokkeveld.

In terms of Act No 13 of 1856 the district of Tulbagh was proclaimed a division and the boundaries of the Divisional Council of Worcester were redefined as follows:
District No 1 Field-Cornetcy and Town of Worcester;
District No 2 Field-Cornetcies of Wagenboom’s River and Goudini;
District No 3 Over Hex River and Achter Hex River;
District No 4 Voorste and Middle Bosjesveld;
District No 5 Kleine Swarte Berg and Klein Roggeveld;
District No 6 Great Fish River, Koreeka River, Riet River and Komsberg.

In the ensuing years the boundaries were altered various times, for example in 1869(4) and 1905.

On 1 January 1980 the Divisional Council of Worcester was reconstituted together with the Divisional Council of Laingsburg to form the amalgamated Divisional Council of Matroosberg.

By order of the governor, JH Fischer, landdrost at Tulbagh in 1818 investigated and reported on the necessity to create new sub-districts between Tulbagh and Graaff-Reinet. In the same year a sub-district of Graaff-Reinet was established at Beaufort (West). Fischer also recommended that the farms “Lange Rug” and Roode Draai” near the Hex River Poort be bought for the establishment of a new sub-district to serve the inhabitants between Tulbagh and Swellendam. In October 1819 a sub-district of Tulbagh was established at Worcester and JF van de Graaff was appointed deputy landdrost. Initially, he was assisted by a sheriff, mounted police, a messenger and a clerk. In April 1820 the boundaries of the sub-district were defined.

On the recommendation of the landdrost and heemrade of Tulbagh a court consisting of the deputy landdrost and at least two heemrade as well as a matrimonial court was created at Worcester in January 1822.

The sub-district at Worcester existed until November 1822 when the seat of magistracy of the Tulbagh district was moved to Worcester. As a result of the damage to the drostdy buildings at Tulbagh by a storm in July 1822, Captain Charles Trappes, then landdrost at Tulbagh, persuaded the governor to move the seat of magistracy to Worcester. The sub- district of Worcester was abolished and the former district of Tulbagh was renamed the district of Worcester. Trappes was appointed the first resident magistrate at Worcester in November 1822 and in 1827 he also became civil commissioner. At Tulbagh a special heemraad, assisted by a clerk, who also officiated as postmaster, was appointed. From 1 January 1828 the special heemraad was replaced by a justice of the peace who took over his functions. The latter post existed until 1848 when Tulbagh became an independent magistracy.

In December 1847 members were elected to form, together with the civil commissioner, a Board of Public Roads for the Worcester division.

In 1848 the district of Worcester comprised thirteen field cornetcies.

An assistant resident magistrate for the district was appointed in June 1899 and in September 1899 a periodical court was established at Matjesfontein.

The Archives:

A close interrelation exists between the earliest archives of the magistrate of Worcester and those of the magistrate of Tulbagh and the introductions of these two archives naturally compliment each other.

As can be seen from the main series and the inventories the archives of the former district of Tulbagh covering the period 1804 – 1822 was incorporated with the archives of the magistrate of Worcester thus forming an integral part of the latter archives.

The archives of the special heemraad and justice of the peace at Tulbagh for the period 1822 – 1848 was transferred to the archives of the magistrate of Worcester, since these officials fell under the jurisdiction of the latter magistrate.

On 11 July 1804 the district of Stellenbosch was subdivided into two districts. The southern portion of the original district retained the name Stellenbosch, while the northern portion was named Tulbagh. A former Landdrost of Stellenbosch, Hendrik Bletterman was temporarily appointed to institute the administration of the district of Tulbagh. The inhabitants strongly opposed the proposed boundaries of the new district as well as the decision to establish the seat of the magistracy at Jandisselsvlei. Therefore, Bletterman was instructed to investigate the matter and find a solution.

In his report of September 1804 Bletterman recommended that the Government purchase the farm Rietvalley in Roodezand (Land van Waveren) as the seat of the Landdrost. He also divided the district into 16 field-cornetcies and appointed field-cornets. Bletterman’s proposals were accepted and he was authorised to make any changes which he deemed necessary in the interests of the inhabitants of the district. He was granted 25000 rixdollars to build a residency. H van de Graaff was appointed as the first landdrost of the district.

In February 1808 an Adjunk-Landdrost (Deputy Magistrate) was appointed at Jandisselsvlei, and in 1819 an Adjunk-Landdrost was also appointed at Worcester. After the residency and other public buildings had been damaged by a storm in July 1822, it was decided to move the seat of the Landdrost from Tulbagh to Worcester and to change the name of the district to Worcester. On the recommendation of the Landdrost a Special Heemraad was appointed at Tulbagh in October 1822. When the system of Landdrost and Heemraden was changed to that of Resident Magistrate and Civil Commissioner in 1827, the Special Heemraad was replaced by a Justice of the Peace.

In March 1848 the district of Worcester was divided into the districts of Worcester and Tulbagh. The latter consisted of the field-cornetcies of Tulbagh, Voorste Omtrek (Koue Bokkeveld), Warm Bokkeveld, Voor Vier-en-twintig Riviere and those parts of the field-cornetcies of Breede Rivier and Achterste Omtrek (Koue Bokkeveld) which fell within the parish of the Dutch Reformed Church of Tulbagh. H Piers was appointed as the first Resident Magistrate of the new district.

On 1 January 1872 the seat of the magistracy was moved from Tulbagh to Ceres, while a periodical court was established at Tulbagh. In 1877 a Special Justice of the Peace was appointed at Saron, while a Special Justice of the Peace, with jurisdiction over the field-cornetcies of Tulbagh, Waterval and Vier-en-twintig Riviere, was appointed at Tulbagh in February 1880.

An Additional Resident Magistrate was appointed at Tulbagh in March 1886. He was to hold court at Tulbagh on Mondays and Thursdays and was to act as Road Magistrate for the district of Tulbagh under the provisions of Ordinance No 9 of 1846.

These measures remained in force until May 1889, when the district of Tulbagh was divided into the district of Ceres and Tulbagh, with the town of Tulbagh as the seat of the latter district. The new district of Tulbagh comprised the field-cornetcies of Tulbagh, Winterhoek, Waterval, Breede Rivier, Koopmansrivier and Vier-en-twintig Riviere.

Apart from his normal judicial and administrative functions, the Magistrate of Tulbagh performed the functions of Chairman of the Divisional Council, Chairman of the Licensing Court and, during the Anglo-Boer War, Deputy Administrator of Martial Law in an ex officio capacity.

The Archives:

From the foregoing it is clear that a close interrelation exists between the earliest archives of the Magistrate of Tulbagh and those of the Magistrate of Worcester. Therefore, the archives of the Magistrate of Tulbagh for the period 1804 – 1822 was left with the archives of the Magistrate of Worcester. The archives of the Special Heemraad (since 1828 the Justice of the Peace) at Tulbagh for the period 1822 – 1848 was also transferred to the archives of the Magistrate of Worcester, since that official fell under the jurisdiction of the latter magistrate.

On 1 January 1980 the Divisional Councils of Worcester and Laingsburg was reconstituted to form the amalgamated Divisional Council of Matroosberg (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 4061 of 20 July 1979, Proclamation No 174 of 18 July 1979).

On 1 July 1989 the Divisional Councils of Matroosberg, Wynland and Witzenberg were reconstituted together as the Breërivier Regional Services Council (The Province of the Cape of Good Hope Official Gazette No 4580 of 31 March 1989, Provincial Notice No 331 of 31 March 1989).

On 21 December 1818, the farms Langerug and Roodedraay in the valley of the Breede River were purchased from the brothers Pieter and Wilhelm du Toit by the Cape Government for 140,000 guilders. At Roodedraay the Governor, Lord Charles Somerset placed a Deputy Landdrost under the Landdrost of Tulbagh and called the place Worcester, in honor of his brother, the Marquis of Worcester. An advertisement titled “Sale of several lots of ground, situated at the entrance of the Hex Rivers Kloof, adjacent to the new sub-drostdy Worcester” appeared in the Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser, No 723 dated 20 November 1819.

On 28 and 29 February 1820 the first sale of the plots took place when eighty- nine were sold. On 13 October 1841 in terms of the provisions of Ordinance no 9 dated 15 August 1836 titled “An ordinance for the creation of Municipal Boards in the towns and villages of this Colony, on which the local regulations of each shall be founded”, a meeting of resident householders was held at Worcester. At this meeting, certain municipal regulations were adopted and forwarded to the Governor, Sir George Napier for approval.

The approved and amended regulations, among other things stated:
The municipality of Worcester shall comprehend the town, the common pasture, and other lands formerly belonging to the places “Rodewal” and “Langerug”, in their present extent;
The town shall be divided into four wards, to each ward one wardmaster with an assistant shall be appointed by the commissioners, who shall draw out their instructions;
Three commissioners shall be elected for the Municipality … and any two of them shall form a quorum.” The council met for the first time on 5 January 1842. On 30 September 1895, Sir Hercules Robinson proclaimed the Municipality of Worcester, a municipality under the provisions of the “Municipal Act, 1882”.
The municipality was to be bounded as follows:
“North-west by Aan de Mond van Hartebeeste Rivier, Crown Land, and Hartebeeste Rivier, West by Hartebeeste Rivier, North-east by Glen Heatlie, Zeekoegats Berg, Meirings Berg, and Tweefonteinen, South-east by Meirings Berg, Annex Oude Wagendrift, Aan de Doorn Rivier, and Papenkuils Vallei, West by Oude Wagendrift, and Papenkuils Vallei, South-west by Papenkuils Vallei, and the Breede River”. The Municipal Council was to consist of six members.
Ordinance No 10 of 1912 titled “Ordinance to consolidate and amend the Law relating to Municipalities” consolidated and revised the regulations governing municipal authorities in the Cape Province. This Ordinance formed the basis of municipal government from 1912 to 1950. During this period various minor additions and amendments were made to municipal legislation in the Cape Province and these also became applicable to the Municipality of Worcester.
Under the Local Government Transition Act, 1993 (Act 209 of 1993), the local government bodies within the Worcester Forum Area, namely the Municipality for the Area of Worcester and Zweletemba Town Council, were dissolved with effect from 1 October 1994, and the Worcester Transitional Local Council was established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 4882, 30 September 1994, Proclamation No 57, 30 September 1994).
Under the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998), the existing Worcester Transitional Local Council, along with other municipalities, was disestablished, and the Breede Valley Local Municipality was established (Province of Western Cape Provincial Gazette Extraordinary No 5590, 22 September 2000, Provincial Notice No 490, 22 September 2000). The Breede Valley Local Municipality forms part of the larger Cape Winelands District Municipality.