How Many Counties In England End With Shire [ Direct Link ]

Let’s settle it:

The most common answer given in quizzes and general knowledge is , referring to the historic counties. The discrepancy arises because some ceremonial counties like Devon and Dorset dropped the “-shire,” while historic ones retain it. Why “-shire”? The suffix comes from Old English scir , meaning an administrative district. Shires were originally governed by a sheriff ( shire reeve ). Most shires were named after their county town (e.g., Gloucester → Gloucestershire), but some (like Devon, Cornwall, Kent) never used the suffix or dropped it. how many counties in england end with shire

if we exclude Rutland (doesn’t end in shire) and Middlesex (ends in “sex,” not shire). But my list above gave 25. The error: Devonshire and Dorsetshire are still historic, but sometimes counted as Devon and Dorset. So to avoid double-counting, the accepted number among historians is 24 historic shire counties . Final Clear Answer | Type of county | Number ending in “-shire” | |----------------|---------------------------| | Ceremonial (modern) | 22 | | Historic (traditional) | 24 | Let’s settle it: The most common answer given

Actually, Yorkshire is one ceremonial county (split into North, East, South, West for administrative purposes, but as a ceremonial county it’s still “Yorkshire” for lieutenancy — no, that’s wrong: since 1974, Yorkshire is divided into East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire. Only “North Yorkshire” ends in -shire. East Riding does not. South and West Yorkshire do not.) The suffix comes from Old English scir ,

Wait — but what about , West Yorkshire ? They are metropolitan counties but also ceremonial — they do not end in “-shire” (they end in “Yorkshire” as two words). So no.

But some lists exclude Yorkshire because it’s not “-shire” as a suffix? Actually, “Yorkshire” does end with “shire.” So it counts.