How Many Counties End In Shire In England [upd] Jun 2026

The land of cheese and black-and-white houses. Tick.

The largest of them all. Another tick.

In a small, dusty office tucked away in the labyrinth of the National Statistics building in London, an intern named Oliver was given a task that sounded deceptively simple. His supervisor, a brisk woman named Dr. Evelyn Marsh, handed him a printout of England’s ceremonial counties. how many counties end in shire in england

The count of twenty-seven is further complicated by the distinction between "ceremonial counties" and "administrative counties." The Ceremonial Counties, defined by the presence of a Lord Lieutenant, often correspond to the traditional geographic counties. Under this definition, the number is higher, often cited as or more depending on classification. This includes counties that are historically "shires" but are usually referred to by truncated names. For instance, the county of Devon is officially the "County of Devon" but was historically known as Devonshire. Similarly, Dorset was historically Dorsetshire, and Somerset was Somersetshire. While these names linger in the "Ceremonial" count, the modern postal and administrative usage has largely dropped the suffix.

He paused. It ends in -land , not -shire . But it is a county. No tick. The land of cheese and black-and-white houses

". When the Normans arrived, they introduced the French term comté (county), which became the official administrative term. However, the English population clung to the word "shire" in everyday speech, leading to the hybrid naming system we see today where every "shire" is a county, but not every county is a "shire". The "Shire" vs. "Non-Shire" Divide The distribution of these names is not random. It typically follows a distinct rule of thumb: The Created Districts (The Shires): Most counties ending in "-shire" were created as administrative subdivisions of larger kingdoms, such as Mercia or Wessex. They were often named after their principal fortified town (e.g., Bedford became the head of Bedfordshire ). The Ancient Kingdoms (Non-Shires): Counties like Kent , Essex , Sussex , and Cornwall do not use the suffix. This is because they were originally independent kingdoms or distinct tribal territories that predated the shire system. Their names were already established long before a "shire-reeve" was ever appointed to oversee them. Modern Evolutions and "Pseudo-Shires" The map has shifted significantly due to local government reforms in 1974 and beyond. While Yorkshire was traditionally one massive shire, it is now administratively split into four: North, West, South, and the East Riding of Yorkshire. Interestingly, some counties like Devon , Dorset , and Somerset were historically often referred to with the suffix (e.g., Devonshire ), though this has largely fallen out of official use. Would you like to see a

He paused. Yes, it counts, even if everyone calls it “Bucks.” Tick. Another tick

But then he frowned. He’d missed one. He scanned again, slower this time. Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire… wait.