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 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. Dales