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Line 121: |
Line 121: |
| |<big>[[Kent]]</big>||1,555 square miles||[[Maidstone]], [[Canterbury]], [[Bromley]], [[Dover]], [[Folkestone]], [[Greenwich]], [[Rochester]] | | |<big>[[Kent]]</big>||1,555 square miles||[[Maidstone]], [[Canterbury]], [[Bromley]], [[Dover]], [[Folkestone]], [[Greenwich]], [[Rochester]] |
| |- | | |- |
− | |<big>[[Kincardineshire]]</big>||380 square miles||[[[Stonehaven]], [[Banchory]], [[Inverbervie]], [[Laurencekirk]] | + | |<big>[[Kincardineshire]]</big>||380 square miles||[[Stonehaven]], [[Banchory]], [[Inverbervie]], [[Laurencekirk]] |
| |- | | |- |
| |<big>[[Kinross-shire]]</big>||73 square miles||[[Kinross]], [[Milnathort]] | | |<big>[[Kinross-shire]]</big>||73 square miles||[[Kinross]], [[Milnathort]] |
The counties have no administrative function, existing as geographical and cultural areas. Most of the counties have an existence stretching back to the Middle Ages and almost all of the English counties have been established for over a thousand years. Even the relatively young Highland shires, only 450 years old as such, have a much older existence as geographical and cultural areas.
In this time many activities many activities and much social understanding and local identity has grown up intertwined with the counties, and so they have become a vital part of British and Irish culture.
Until the late twentieth century, administrative functions have been carried on using the counties' boundaries or approximations to them, and so centuries of public records have been organised county by county, for which reason an understanding of the counties is vital for genealogical and historic research.
County |
Area |
Principal towns in the county
|
Aberdeenshire |
1,950 square miles |
Aberdeen, Ellon, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Inverurie, Peterhead, Turriff
|
Anglesey |
276 square miles |
Beaumaris, Amlwch, Holyhead, Llangefni, Menai Bridge
|
Angus (Forfarshire) |
889 square miles |
Forfar, Dundee, Arbroath, Brechin, Carnoustie, Kirriemuir, Montrose
|
Antrim |
1,175 square miles |
Belfast, Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Carnlough, Larne, Portrush
|
Argyll (Argyllshire) |
3,110 square miles |
Lochgilphead, Campbeltown, Dunoon, Inveraray, Oban, Tobermory
|
Armagh |
512 square miles |
Armagh, Newry
|
Ayrshire |
1,129 square miles |
Ayr, Cumnock, Irvine, Kilmarnock, Kilwinning, Largs, Saltcoats, Troon
|
Banffshire |
641 square miles |
Banff, Buckie, Dufftown, Keith, Macduff, Portsoy
|
Bedfordshire |
465 square miles |
Bedford, Biggleswade, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Luton, Sandy
|
Berkshire |
722 square miles |
Reading, Abingdon, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Newbury, Windsor, Wokingham
|
Berwickshire |
457 square miles |
Greenlaw, Coldstream, Duns, Eyemouth, Lauder
|
Brecknockshire (Breconshire) |
743 square miles |
Brecon, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Llanwrtyd Wells, Talgarth
|
Buckinghamshire |
745 square miles |
Aylesbury, Buckingham, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Slough
|
Buteshire |
225 square miles |
Rothesay, Brodick, Lochranza, Millport
|
Caernarfonshire |
480 square miles |
Caernarfon, Bangor, Conwy, Llandudno, Porthmadog, Pwllheli
|
Caithness |
618 square miles |
Wick, Castletown, Halkirk, Thurso
|
Cambridgeshire |
820 square miles |
Cambridge, Ely, Chatteris, March, Cambridgeshire, Whittlesey, Wisbech
|
Cardiganshire |
815 square miles |
Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Lampeter, New Quay, Tregaron
|
Carmarthenshire |
1,095 square miles |
Carmarthen, Ammanford, Kidwelly, Llandovery, Llanelli, St Clears
|
Cheshire |
1,027 square miles |
Chester, Birkenhead, Crewe, Macclesfield, Runcorn, Stockport, Wallasey
|
Clackmannanshire |
48 square miles |
Clackmannan, Alloa, Dollar, Tillicoultry, Tullibody
|
Cornwall |
1,349 square miles |
Bodmin, Truro, Camborne, Falmouth, Newquay, Penzance, Redruth, St Austell
|
Cromartyshire |
370 square miles |
Cromarty, Ullapool
|
Cumberland |
1,516 square miles |
Carlisle, Brampton, Keswick, Penrith, Whitehaven, Workington
|
Denbighshire |
640 square miles |
Ruthin, Abergele, Denbigh, Llangollen, Wrexham
|
Derbyshire |
1,029 square miles |
Derby, Ashbourne, Buxton, Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Matlock, Swadlincote
|
Devon |
2,405 square miles |
Exeter, Plymouth, Barnstaple, Newton Abbot, Paignton, Tavistock, Tiverton, Torquay
|
Dorset |
980 square miles |
Dorchester, Poole, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Weymouth, Wimborne Minster
|
Down |
950 square miles |
Downpatrick, Bangor, Holywood, Newcastle, Strangford
|
Dumfriesshire |
1,063 square miles |
Dumfries, Annan, Gretna, Langholm, Lockerbie, Moffat, Sanquhar
|
Dumbartonshire |
241 square miles |
Dumbarton, Alexandria, Clydebank, Cumbernauld, Helensburgh, Kirkintilloch
|
Durham |
1,015 square miles |
Durham, Gateshead, Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland, Washington
|
East Lothian (Haddingtonshire) |
267 square miles |
Haddington, Dunbar, East Linton, North Berwick, Tranent
|
Essex |
1,542 square miles |
Chelmsford, Basildon, Brentwood, Colchester, Harlow, Romford, Southend-on-Sea, Stratford
|
Fermanagh |
715 square miles |
Enniskillen, Belleek, Irvinestown
|
Fife |
504 square miles |
Cupar, Dunfermline, Burntisland, Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, St Andrews
|
Flintshire |
640 square miles |
Mold, Connah's Quay, Buckley, Flint, Holywell, Prestatyn, Rhyl, St Asaph
|
Glamorgan |
845 square miles |
Cardiff, Swansea, Barry, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath, Pontypridd
|
Gloucestershire |
1,225 square miles |
Gloucester, Bristol, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Stroud, Tewkesbury
|
Hampshire |
1,622 square miles |
Winchester, Portsmouth, Southampton, Basingstoke, Bournemouth, Newport
|
Herefordshire |
833 square miles |
Hereford, Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury, Leominster, Ross-on-Wye
|
Hertfordshire |
727 square miles |
Hertford, St Albans, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford
|
Huntingdonshire |
359 square miles |
Huntingdon, Ramsey, St Ives, St Neots, Yaxley
|
Inverness-shire |
4,211 square miles |
Inverness, Fort William, Kingussie, Newtonmore, Portree
|
Kent |
1,555 square miles |
Maidstone, Canterbury, Bromley, Dover, Folkestone, Greenwich, Rochester
|
Kincardineshire |
380 square miles |
Stonehaven, Banchory, Inverbervie, Laurencekirk
|
Kinross-shire |
73 square miles |
Kinross, Milnathort
|
Kirkcudbrightshire |
899 square miles |
Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, New Galloway
|
Lanarkshire |
879 square miles |
Lanark, Glasgow, Coatbridge, Carluke, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Motherwell
|
Lancashire |
1,880 square miles |
Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Barrow-in-Furness, Bolton, Warrington
|
Leicestershire |
800 square miles |
Leicester, Coalville, Hinckley, Loughborough, Lutterworth, Melton Mowbray
|
Lincolnshire |
2,646 square miles |
Lincoln, Boston, Grantham, Grimsby, Louth, Scunthorpe, Skegness, Stamford
|
Londonderry |
816 square miles |
Londonderry, Coleraine, Limavady
|
Merioneth |
780 square miles |
Bala, Barmouth, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Dolgellau, Harlech, Tywyn
|
Middlesex |
285 square miles |
London, Brentford, Westminster, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Potters Bar, Staines, Twickenham
|
Midlothian (Edinburghshire) |
362 square miles |
Edinburgh, Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith, Musselburgh, Penicuik
|
Monmouthshire |
530 square miles |
Monmouth, Newport, Abergavenny, Blackwood, Chepstow, Cwmbran, Tredegar
|
Montgomeryshire |
780 square miles |
Montgomery, Llanidloes, Machynlleth, Newtown, Welshpool
|
Morayshire (Moray, Elginshire) |
476 square miles |
Elgin, Fochabers, Lossiemouth, Forres, Rothes
|
Nairnshire |
200 square miles |
Nairn, Auldearn, Cawdor
|
Norfolk |
2,044 square miles |
Norwich, Cromer, East Dereham, Great Yarmouth, Hunstanton, King's Lynn
|
Northamptonshire |
984 square miles |
Northampton, Peterborough, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough
|
Northumberland |
2,018 square miles |
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Alnwick, (Berwick-upon-Tweed), Hexham, Morpeth
|
Nottinghamshire |
825 square miles |
Nottingham, Mansfield, Newark-on-Trent, Retford, Southwell, Worksop
|
Orkney |
376 square miles |
Kirkwall, Balfour, Stromness
|
Oxfordshire |
756 square miles |
Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Carterton, Henley-on-Thames, Thame, Witney
|
Peeblesshire |
548 square miles |
Peebles, Innerleithen, West Linton
|
Pembrokeshire |
655 square miles |
Pembroke, Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Tenby, St David's
|
Perthshire |
2,493 square miles |
Perth, Blairgowrie, Callander, Coupar Angus, Crieff, Kincardine, Pitlochry, Rattray
|
Radnorshire |
485 square miles |
Presteigne, Knighton, Llandrindod Wells, New Radnor, Rhayader
|
Renfrewshire |
245 square miles |
Renfrew, Barrhead, Greenock, Johnstone, Kilmacolm, Paisley, Port Glasgow
|
Ross-shire |
3,089 square miles |
Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon, Stornaway, Tain
|
Roxburghshire |
666 square miles |
Jedburgh, Hawick, Kelso, Melrose, Roxburgh
|
Rutland |
152 square miles |
Oakham, Cottesmore, Uppingham
|
Selkirkshire |
267 square miles |
Selkirk, Galashiels
|
Shetland |
551 square miles |
Lerwick, Baltasound, Scalloway
|
Shropshire |
1,343 square miles |
Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Market Drayton, Oswestry, Telford, Whitchurch
|
Somerset |
1,640 square miles |
Taunton, Bath, Bridgwater, Glastonbury, Wells, Weston-super-Mare, Yeovil
|
Staffordshire |
1,171 square miles |
Stafford, Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Cannock, Walsall
|
Stirlingshire |
447 square miles |
Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Denny, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Kilsyth
|
Suffolk |
1,489 square miles |
Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Bungay, Felixstowe, Haverhill, Lowestoft, Sudbury
|
Surrey |
758 square miles |
Guildford, Brixton, Croydon, Egham, Farnham, Kingston upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Woking
|
Sussex |
1,458 square miles |
Chichester, Bognor Regis, Brighton, Crawley, Eastbourne, Hastings, Horsham, Worthing
|
Sutherland |
2,028 square miles |
Dornoch, Brora, Durness, Golspie, Helmsdale, Lairg, Tongue
|
Tyrone |
1,260 square miles |
Omagh, Cookstown, Dungannon, Strabane
|
Warwickshire |
885 square miles |
Warwick, Birmingham, Coventry, Nuneaton, Rugby, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon
|
West Lothian (Linlithgowshire) |
120 square miles |
Linlithgow, Armadale, Bathgate, Bo'ness, Broxburn, Livingston, Whitburn
|
Westmorland |
783 square miles |
Appleby, Ambleside, Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale, Windermere
|
Wigtownshire |
487 square miles |
Wigtown, Newton Stewart, Stranraer, Whithorn
|
Wiltshire |
1,370 square miles |
Salisbury, Chippenham, Devizes, Marlborough, Swindon, Trowbridge, Warminster
|
Worcestershire |
738 square miles |
Worcester, Dudley, Evesham, Great Malvern, Halesowen, Kidderminster, Stourbridge
|
Yorkshire |
6,066 square miles |
York
East Riding: Kingston upon Hull, Beverley, Bridlington, Driffield, Filey, Hornsea
North Riding: Middlesbrough, Northallerton, Redcar, Scarborough, Whitby
West Riding: Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, Wakefield, Halifax, Harrogate
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