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South West
Gloucestershire
Wiltshire
Somerset
Devon
Cornwall |
South Central
Oxfordshire
Berkshire
West Sussex
Hampshire
Dorset
Isle of Wight |
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East Anglia
Norfolk
Suffolk
Cambridgeshire
Essex
Hertfordshire
Bedfordshire |
County Information curtesy of Wikipedia
The establishment of counties had begun by the 12th century, although many boundaries date from far earlier, incorporating Saxon and Celtic divisions. However, some borders did not assume their commonly recognised forms until considerably later, in some cases the 16th century. Because of their differing origins the counties varied considerably in size. The county boundaries were fairly static between the 16th century Laws in Wales acts and the Local Government Act 1888.[9] [edit] Southern England In southern England the counties were subdivisions of the Kingdom of Wessex, and in many areas represented annexed, previously independent, kingdoms or other tribal territories. Kent derives from the Kingdom of Kent, and Essex, Sussex and Middlesex come from the East Saxons, South Saxons and Middle Saxons. Norfolk and Suffolk were subdivisions representing the "North Folk" and "South Folk" of the Kingdom of East Anglia. Only one county on the south coast of England now usually takes the suffix "-shire", Hampshire, which is named after the former town of "Hamwic" (sic), the site of which is now a part of the city of Southampton. [edit] Midlands When Wessex conquered Mercia in the 9th and 10th centuries, it subdivided the area into various shires, which tended to take the name of the main town (the county town) of the county, along with "-shire". Examples of these include Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. In many cases these have since been worn down — for example, Cheshire was originally "Chestershire".[10] Rutland was an anomalous territory or Soke, associated with Nottinghamshire, but it eventually became considered the smallest county. Lincolnshire was the successor to the Kingdom of Lindsey, and took on the territories of Kesteven and Holland when Stamford became the only Danelaw borough to fail to become a county town.[11] The border with Wales was not set until the Laws in Wales Act 1535 — this remains the modern border. In the Domesday Book the border counties included parts of what later became Wales. Monmouth, for example, was included in Herefordshire.[12] The ancient town of Ludlow, now in Shropshire, was included in Herefordshire in the Domesday Book. [edit] Northern England Much of Northumbria was also shired, the best known of these counties being Hallamshire and Cravenshire. The Normans did not use these divisions, and so they are not generally regarded as historic counties. The huge county of Yorkshire was a successor to the Viking Kingdom of York, and at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 it was considered to include what was to become northern Lancashire, as well as parts of Cumberland, and Westmorland. Most of the later Cumberland and Westmorland were under Scottish rule until 1092. After the Norman Conquest in 1066 and the harrying of the North, much of the North of England was left depopulated and was included in the returns for Cheshire and Yorkshire in the Domesday Book.[13] However, there is some disagreement about the status of some of this land. The area in between the River Ribble and the River Mersey, referred to as "Inter Ripam et Mersham" in the Domesday Book,[14] was included in the returns for Cheshire,[15] but recent sources report that this did not mean that this land was actually part of Cheshire.[16][17][18][19] though one source implies that it was.[14] The Northeast, or Northumbria, land that later became County Durham and Northumberland, was left unrecorded. Cumberland, Westmorland, Lancashire, County Durham and Northumberland were established as counties in the 12th century. Lancashire can be firmly dated to 1182.[20] Part of the domain of the Bishops of Durham, Hexhamshire was split off and was considered an independent county until 1572, when it became part of Northumberland. [edit] Role
