How Many Shire Counties Are There In England ^new^ Instant

Today, if you ask “How many shire counties still exist as functioning, two-tier local governments (with a county council and district councils)?” the answer is only .

Let’s break down this fascinating geographical and political puzzle. Before counting, we must define the term. The word “shire” comes from Old English scir , meaning a territory or administrative district. Historically, a shire was a county governed by a royal official known as a sheriff (from shire-reeve ). how many shire counties are there in england

Therefore, when people ask about shire counties , they generally exclude the ancient, non-shire counties like Cornwall, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, and Essex. Before the local government reforms of 1974, England had 39 historic counties. Of these, 34 were typically called shires. The five non-shires were: Cornwall, Cumberland, Durham, Essex, Kent, Lancashire, Norfolk, Northumberland, Suffolk, Surrey, Westmorland, and Yorkshire (though Yorkshire was a shire in name, it’s often grouped separately due to its massive size). Today, if you ask “How many shire counties

| Context | Number of Shire Counties | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | | | 34 | Excludes ancient non-shires like Cornwall, Kent, Essex. | | Ceremonial (modern Lord-Lieutenancies) | 29 | Most common answer in atlases and quizzes. | | Administrative (functioning county councils) | 24 | The “real” shires that still run local services. | | Linguistic (end in “-shire”) | 26 | Strictly by name only. | The word “shire” comes from Old English scir

The most widely accepted list of (for non-metropolitan statistical purposes) is:

In the most commonly referenced sense, there are 29 shire counties in England. However, if you look at the modern administrative structure, the number drops to 24 (or even 21, depending on the definition). If you go back to the historic counties, the total is 39.