The traditional counties as usually portrayed.

England has been divided into counties for hundreds of years. The divisions originated as administrative areas, but have been adopted for geographic purposes. Download high resolution version (642x802, 9 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Talk:Traditional counties of England Counties of England User:Morwen/Counties Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (642x802, 9 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Talk:Traditional counties of England Counties of England User:Morwen/Counties Categories: GFDL images ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... Originally, a county was the land under the jurisdiction of a count (in Great Britain, an earl, though the original earldoms covered larger areas) by reason of that office. ...

A series of local government reforms from the 19th century onwards has left the exact definition of the term 'county' slightly ambiguous. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Historic/Traditional counties

Main article: Historic/Traditional counties of England The traditional counties of England are historic subdivisions of the country into around 40 regions. ...

The accepted system of the 39 traditional counties arose from the 12th to the 16th centuries, though many of the specific areas are much older. They became established as a geographic reference frame over time. There is some dispute as to whether an Act passed in 1844 to simplify the counties by reducing the many exclaves should be accepted or not. (11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... A frame of reference in physics is a set of axes which enable an observer to measure the aspect, position and motion of all points in a system relative to the reference frame. ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... D is Bs exclave, but is not an enclave. ...

Administrative counties

Main article: Administrative counties of England The division into counties is one of the larger divisions of England. ...

Counties as established in 1974

Administrative counties since 1998

Elected County councils were set up in England in 1888, taking over many of the administrative functions of the Quarter Sessions courts, as well as being given other powers over the years. For political purposes, these covered newly established areas known as 'administrative counties', which included such entities as the County of London, covering parts of historic Kent, Middlesex and Surrey, and the historic counties were not formally abolished. The administrative counties did not cover the independent county boroughs; and many historic counties were covered by two (Suffolk, Sussex, Northamptonshire, Hampshire, Cambridgeshire) or three (Yorkshire, Lincolnshire) administrative counties. Download high resolution version (2165x2670, 89 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Counties of England User:Morwen/Counties Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (2165x2670, 89 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Counties of England User:Morwen/Counties Categories: GFDL images ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Download high resolution version (2165x2670, 96 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Counties of England Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (2165x2670, 96 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Counties of England Categories: GFDL images ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... In the British Isles, a county council is a council that governs a county. ... 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Historically, the Courts of Quarter Sessions, or Quarter Sessions, were periodic courts held in each county and county borough in England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Assizes courts they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court of England and... The County of London (in red), super imposed upon todays Greater London area, to show the difference in size with post-1965 Borough boundaries The County of London was an administrative county of England from 1888 to 1965. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... Middlesex as a traditional county before 1888. ... Surrey is a county in southern England, one of the Home Counties. ... County borough was a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom to refer to a borough or a city independent of county administration. ... Suffolk (pronounced suffuk) is a large traditional and administrative county in the East Anglia region of eastern England. ... Sussex as a traditional county. ... Northamptonshire (abbreviated Northants or Nhants) is a landlocked county in central England with a population of 629,676 (2001 census). ... Hampshire (abbr. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ... Yorkshire as a traditional county. ... Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the East Midlands of England, traditionally the second largest after Yorkshire. ...

1965 saw a minor change as the original County of London became instead the 'administrative area' of Greater London, in the process absorbing most of the remaining part of Middlesex; Huntingdonshire merged with the Soke of Peterborough to form Huntingdon and Peterborough, and the original Cambridgeshire administrative county merged with the Isle of Ely (historically the north of Cambridgeshire, around Ely) to form Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely. 1965 was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... The County of London (in red), super imposed upon todays Greater London area, to show the difference in size with post-1965 Borough boundaries The County of London was an administrative county of England from 1888 to 1965. ... Greater London is the top level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... Huntingdonshire (abbreviated Hunts) is a part of England around Huntingdon, which is currently administered as a local government district of Cambridgeshire. ... Categories: United Kingdom-related stubs | Cambridgeshire ... Huntingdonshire and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative county in England. ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ... Categories: UK geography stubs | Cambridgeshire | English islands ... There are other places also called Ely. ... Categories: Stub | Cambridgeshire ...

In 1974 the Local Government Act came into force. This abolished the existing local government structure. The county council areas were not called 'administrative counties' but simply 'counties' in the new legislation. Many new counties were created, such as Avon, Cleveland, Cumbria, Humberside along with the new metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire. The counties of Cumberland, Herefordshire, Rutland, Westmorland and Worcestershire vanished from the administrative map, as did the county boroughs. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... The Local Government Act 1972 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in England and Wales, on April 1, 1974. ... Northavon Bristol Kingswood Woodspring Wansdyke Bath The County of Avon was a short-lived administrative county in the west of England, named after the River Avon which ran through it. ... Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. ... Cumbria is a administrative county located in the northwest area of England. ... East Yorkshire Holderness Kingston upon Hull Beverley Boothferry Scunthorpe Glanford Great Grimsby Cleethorpes Humberside was an administrative county of England from 1974 until April 1, 1996. ... The metropolitan counties of England are counties that cover large urban areas, each with several metropolitan districts. ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in England established in 1974 which covers an area roughly encompassing the conurbation of Manchester. ... Merseyside is a metropolitan county, created in the 1974 local government reform. ... South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in England. ... Tyne and Wear is one of six metropolitan counties in England, comprising the estuary areas of the rivers Tyne and Wear. ... The County of West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England, the United Kingdom, formed in 1974. ... West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in England, corresponding roughly to the core of the West Riding of the traditional county of Yorkshire. ... Cumberland is one of the 39 traditional counties of England. ... Herefordshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. ... Rutland is traditionally Englands smallest county and is bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire, and southeast by Northamptonshire. ... Westmorland is one of the 39 traditional counties of England. ... Worcestershire (pronounced /ˈwʊstə.təʃə/ or /ˈwʊstə.təʃiːɜː/ or /ˈwʊstə.təʃaɪə/; abbreviated Worcs) is a county, located in the West Midlands region of central England. ...

Local government reforms in the 1990s have left the administrative counties rather odd, with many small unitary authorities possessing county status, but restored Herefordshire, Rutland and Worcestershire as administrative entities. The structure of local government in the United Kingdom underwent large changes in the 1990s. ... A unitary authority is a type of local authority, which has a single-tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area. ... Herefordshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. ... Rutland is traditionally Englands smallest county and is bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire, and southeast by Northamptonshire. ... Worcestershire (pronounced /ˈwʊstə.təʃə/ or /ˈwʊstə.təʃiːɜː/ or /ˈwʊstə.təʃaɪə/; abbreviated Worcs) is a county, located in the West Midlands region of central England. ...

There are now exactly 81 administrative counties, excluding Greater London. Of these, 34 are 'shire counties' with county councils and district councils, and 40 are unitary authorities. Six are metropolitan counties. The remaining one is Berkshire, whose county council has been abolished and its districts have become unitary authorities. Greater London is the top level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ... In the British Isles, a county council is a council that governs a county. ... The Districts of England are the lowest level of local government in England, except for civil parishes. ... For other places named Berkshire, see: Berkshire (disambiguation) Berkshire (IPA: or  ; sometimes abbreviated to Berks) is a county in the south of England, to the west of London and also bordering on Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Greater London, Surrey, Wiltshire and Hampshire. ...

Ceremonial counties

Main article: Ceremonial counties of England The Ceremonial counties of England are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government with reference to administrative counties of England. ...

Ceremonial counties since 1998

The ceremonial counties are the areas covered by a Lord-Lieutenant. Historically these largely coincided with the traditional counties, but with the addition of the City of London and the City and County of Bristol. They broadly followed the administrative changes, although for example East Suffolk and West Suffolk were a single ceremonial county, Suffolk. Download high resolution version (2175x2670, 88 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Counties of England User:Morwen/Counties Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (2175x2670, 88 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Counties of England User:Morwen/Counties Categories: GFDL images ... The title Lord-Lieutenant is given to the British monarchs personal representatives around the United Kingdom. ... This article is about a small section of central London. ... Bristol is an English city and county and one of the two administrative centres of South West England (the other being Plymouth). ... Categories: Stub | Suffolk ... West Suffolk was created along with East Suffolk in 1888 as an administrative county of England in its own right. ... Suffolk (pronounced suffuk) is a large traditional and administrative county in the East Anglia region of eastern England. ...

These counties were adopted as the usual geographic reference frame. In 1974 when the administrative counties were reformed, the ceremonial counties were made to match these exactly. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

After the local government reforms in the 1990s, certain areas that became unitary authorities were returned to their original ceremonial county. These counties are probably the ones most commonly in geographic use, although many people still use the 1974 ones. // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but otherwise retaining the same mindset. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

Postal counties

Main article: Postal counties of the United Kingdom The postal counties of the United Kingdom are subdivisions of the UK sometimes used in addressing posted items and which do not correspond exactly to traditional or administrative boundaries. ...

The former postal counties as used by the Post Office are no longer required on addresses. They included most of the 1974 changes, but did not acknowledge Greater Manchester or Greater London as postal counties. Royal Mail is the national postal service in the United Kingdom. ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in England established in 1974 which covers an area roughly encompassing the conurbation of Manchester. ... Greater London is the top level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ...

See also

• Home Counties
• Shire Counties

The phrase Home Counties is a name for the group of English counties which border London. ... A shire county or non-metropolitan county in England, is an administrative county which is not a metropolitan county. ...

External References

• Counties of England, Wales and Scotland prior to the 1974 Boundary Changes

• Administrative Areas of England - gives details of the 1974 changes