A County palatine is an area ruled by an count palatine (or earl palatine); with special authority and autonomy from the rest of the kingdom. In feudal times, counts palatine exercised royal authority, and ruled their counties largely independently of the king, though they owed allegiance to him. In England today there are three counties which are formally palatine counties, namely, County Durham, Cheshire and Lancashire. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An Earl or Jarl was an Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian title, meaning chieftain and it referred especially to chieftains set to rule a territory in a kings stead. ... Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001... County Durham is a county in north-east England. ... Cheshire (or archaically the County of Chester) is a palatine county in North West England. ... Lancashire is a county and duchy palatine in the North of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ...

History

Counties palatine were erected in the 11th century to defend the northern (Scottish) and western (Welsh) frontiers of the Kingdom of England. In order to allow them to do so in the best way they could, their counts were granted palatine ("from the palace", i.e. royal) powers within their territories, making these territories nearly sovereign jurisdictions with their own administrations and courts, largely independently of the king, though they owed allegiance to him.

The Counties Palatine of Durham and Chester, ruled by the Prince-Bishops of Durham and the Earls of Chester respectively, were established by William the Conqueror. Cheshire had its own parliament, consisting of barons of the county, and was not represented in the Parliament of England until 1541, while it retained some of its special privileges until 1830. The earldom of Chester is traditionally vested in the Sovereign's eldest son upon his crowning as Prince of Wales. Arms of the Bishop of Durham The Bishop of Durham is the officer of the Church of England responsible for the diocese of Durham, one of the oldest in the country. ... The Earldom of Chester is one of the few palatine earldoms in England. ... William of Normandy (French: Guillaume de Normandie; 1028?–September 9, 1087) ruled as the Duke of Normandy from 1035 to 1087 and as King of England from 1066 to 1087. ... This is a list of Parliaments of England from the reign of Henry VII to 1707. ... Events The first official translation of the entire Bible in Swedish February 12 - Pedro de Valdivia founds Santiago de Chile. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Prince of Wales Feathers. This Heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent is derived from the ostrich feathers borne by Edward, the Black Prince. ...

As well as having spiritual jurisdiction over the diocese of Durham, the Bishops of Durham retained temporal jurisdiction over County Durham until 1836. The bishop's mitre which crowns the Bishop of Durham's coat of arms is encircled with a gold coronet which is otherwise used only by Dukes, reflecting his historic dignity as a palatine earl. Charles Darwin 1836 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The term duke is a title of nobility which refers to the sovereign male ruler of a Continental European duchy, to a nobleman of the highest grade of the British peerage, or to the highest rank of nobility in various other European countries, including Portugal, Spain and France (in Italy...

Lancashire was made a county, or duchy, palatine in 1351, and kept many of its special judicial privileges until 1873. Although the dukedom of Lancaster merged into the Crown in 1399, it is to this day held separate from other royal lands, and managed by the Duchy of Lancaster; the title of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is still used as a sinecure for a member of the British government without a 'real' portfolio. (In Lancashire, the Loyal Toast is to "the Queen, our Duke".) Events End of the reign of Emperor Suko of Japan, third of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders Start of the reign of Emperor Go-Kogon of Japan, fourth of the Northern Ashikaga Pretenders May 1 Zürich joins the Swiss Confederation. ... 1873 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calaber). ... Events September 30 - Accession of Henry IV of England October 13 - Coronation of Henry IV of England November 1 - Accession of John VI, Duke of Brittany Births William Canynge, English merchant (approximate date; died 1474) Zara Yaqob, Emperor of Ethiopia (died 1468) Deaths January 4 - Nicolau Aymerich, Catalan theologian and... A not-so-nice duchy. ...

The king's writs did not run in these three palatine counties until the nineteenth century, and until the 1970s Lancashire and Durham had their own Courts of Chancery. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Court of Chancery, London, late 18th century The Court of Chancery was one of the courts of equity in England and Wales. ...

There are two kings in England, namely, the lord king of England wearing a crown… and the lord bishop of Durham wearing a mitre in place of a crown… — William de St Botolph, 1302

Events July 11 - Battle of the Golden Spurs (Guldensporenslag in Dutch), major victory of Flanders over the French occupier. ...

Other palatine counties

The county of Cornwall, although not normally reckoned a palatine county, has a similar status to Lancashire, in that royal lands in Cornwall are held by the Duchy of Cornwall, which belongs to the Sovereign's eldest son, who inherits the title of Duke of Cornwall at birth, or at his father or mother's accession to the throne. Motto: Onen hag oll (Cornish: One and all) Geography Status Ceremonial and (smaller) Non-metropolitan county Region South West England Population - Total (2004 est. ... The banner of the Duchy of Cornwall. ... The Dukedom of Cornwall was the first dukedom created in the peerage of England. ...

At various times in history the following areas had palatinate status: Shropshire, Kent, the Isle of Ely, Hexhamshire in Northumberland, and in Wales the earldom of Pembroke (until the 1536 union with England). There were also several palatine districts in Ireland, the most important of which was County Tipperary. Shropshire (abbreviated Salop or Shrops) is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in the West Midlands region of England. ... Kent is a county in England, south-east of London. ... The Isle of Ely in Cambridgeshire, England, is a traditional region around the city of Ely. ... Hexhamshire was a historic county of northern England. ... Northumberland is a traditional, ceremonial and administrative county in northern England. ... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... The Earldom of Pembroke, associated with Pembroke Castle in Wales, was created by King Stephen of England. ... County Tipperary (Tiobraid Árann in Irish) is a traditional county in the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Munster. ...

In the colonies, the historic Province of Avalon in Newfoundland was also granted palatine status. The Avalon Peninsula is a large peninsula (9,270 km²) that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland. ... Newfoundland (French: Terre-Neuve; Irish: Talamh an Éisc; Latin: Terra Nova) is a large island off the northeast coast of North America, and the most populous part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ...

See also

• Marcher Lord

Mark or march (or various plural forms of these words) are derived from the Frankish word marka (boundary) and refer to an area along a border, e. ...

Sources and references

• The 1911 edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica
• WorldStatesmen - UK