Counties of the United Kingdom

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The United Kingdom has 92 counties or shires. The British counties are the oldest extant national divisions in the world.

Where a distinction has to be made with statutory "counties" so called for administrative purposes, the counties are variously known as historic counties, traditional counties or ancient or geographical counties[1].

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.

List of the counties

1,234

Name County of Area (sq m) Population Principal towns in the county
Aberdeenshire Aberdeen 1,950 380,495 Aberdeen, Ellon, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Inverurie, Peterhead, Turriff
Anglesey Anglesey 277 69,751 Beaumaris, Amlwch, Holyhead, Llangefni, Menai Bridge
Angus Forfar 899 264,044 Forfar, Dundee, Arbroath, Brechin, Carnoustie, Kirriemuir, Montrose
Antrim Antrim 1,175 615,701 Belfast, Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Carnlough, Larne, Portrush
Argyllshire Argyll 3,110 64,819 Lochgilphead, Campbeltown, Dunoon, Inverary, Oban, Tobermory
Armagh Armagh 512 178,598 Armagh, Newry
Ayrshire Ayr 1,129 367,676 Ayr, Cumnock, Irvine, Kilmarnock, Kilwinning, Largs, Saltcoats, Troon
Banffshire Banff 641 46,537 Banff, Buckie, Dufftown, Keith, Macduff, Portsoy
Bedfordshire Bedford 468 602,847 Bedford, Biggleswade, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Luton, Sandy
Berkshire Berks 722 842,804 Reading, Abingdon, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Newbury, Windsor, Wokingham
Berwickshire Berwick 457 26,458 Greenlaw, Coldstream, Duns, Eyemouth, Lauder
Brecknockshire Brecon 742 67,598 Brecon, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Llanwrtyd Wells, Talgarth
Buckinghamshire Buckingham 746 916,903 Aylesbury, Buckingham, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Slough
Buteshire Bute 225 12,534 Rothesay, Brodick, Lochranza, Millport
Caernarfonshire Caernarfon 563 139,065 Caernarfon, Bangor, Conwy, Llandudno, Porthmadog, Pwllheli
Caithness Caithness 618 26,486 Wick, Castletown, Halkirk, Thurso
Cambridgeshire Cambridge 858 460,448 Cambridge, Ely, Chatteris, March, Whittlesey, Wisbech
Cardiganshire Cardigan 693 75,784 Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Lampeter, New Quay, Tregaron
Carmarthenshire Carmarthen 937 184,232 Carmarthen, Ammanford, Kidwelly, Llandovery, Llanelli, St Clears
Cheshire Chester 1,035 1,668,894 Chester, Birkenhead, Crewe, Macclesfield, Runcorn, Stockport, Wallasey
Clackmannanshire Clackmannan 48 50,957 Clackmannan, Alloa, Dollar, Tillicoultry, Tullibody
Cornwall Cornwall 1,365 533,594 Bodmin, Truro, Camborne, Falmouth, Newquay, Penzance, Redruth, St Austell
Cromartyshire Cromarty 370 7,074 Cromarty, Ullapool
Cumberland Cumberland 1,525 306,241 Carlisle, Brampton, Keswick, Penrith, Whitehaven, Workington
Denbighshire Denbigh 668 277,680 Ruthin, Abergele, Denbigh, Llangollen, Wrexham
Derbyshire Derby 1,017 1,148,373 Derby, Ashbourne, Buxton, Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Matlock, Swadlincote
Devon Devon 2,621 1,133,463 Exeter, Plymouth, Barnstaple, Newton Abbot, Paignton, Tavistock, Tiverton, Torquay
Dorset Dorset 1,005 543,296 Dorchester, Poole, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Weymouth, Wimborne Minster
Down Down 950 528,983 Downpatrick, Bangor, Holywood, Newcastle, Strangford
Dumfriesshire Dumfries 1,063 77,160 Dumfries, Annan, Gretna, Langholm, Lockerbie, Moffat, Sanquhar
Dunbartonshire Dunbarton 241 262,419 Dumbarton, Alexandria, Clydebank, Cumbernauld, Helensburgh, Kirkintilloch
Durham Durham 1,022 1,467,037 Durham, Gateshead, Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland, Washington
East Lothian Haddington 267 74,882 Haddington, Dunbar, East Linton, North Berwick, Tranent
Essex Essex 1,591 2,999,248 Chelmsford, Basildon, Brentwood, Colchester, Harlow, Romford, Southend-on-Sea, Stratford
Fermanagh Fermanagh 715 61,170 Enniskillen, Belleek, Irvinestown
Fife Fife 504 365,493 Cupar, Dunfermline, Burntisland, Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, St Andrews
Flintshire Flint 260 215,390 Mold, Connah's Quay, Buckley, Flint, Holywell, Prestatyn, Rhyl, St Asaph
Glamorgan Glamorgan 827 1,321,460 Cardiff, Swansea, Barry, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath, Pontypridd
Gloucestershire Gloucester 1,293 1,147,106 Gloucester, Bristol, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Stroud, Tewkesbury
Hampshire Southampton 1,656 2,099,640 Winchester, Portsmouth, Southampton, Basingstoke, Bournemouth, Newport
Herefordshire Hereford 837 183,631 Hereford, Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury, Leominster, Ross-on-Wye
Hertfordshire Hertford 633 1,157,166 Hertford, St Albans, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford
Huntingdonshire Huntingdon 366 211,776 Huntingdon, Ramsey, Godmanchester, St Ives, St Neots, Yaxley
Inverness-shire Inverness 4211 118077 Inverness, Fort William, Kingussie, Newtonmore, Portree
Kent Kent 1,611 2,747,715 Maidstone, Canterbury, Bromley, Dover, Folkestone, Greenwich, Rochester
Kincardineshire Kincardine 380 77,670 Stonehaven, Banchory, Inverbervie, Laurencekirk
Kinross-shire Kinross 73 11223 Kinross, Milnathort
Kirkcudbrightshire Kirkcudbright 899 47,546 Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, New Galloway
Lanarkshire Lanark 879 1,008,014 Lanark, Glasgow, Coatbridge, Carluke, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Motherwell
Lancashire Lancaster 1,909 4,942,364 Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Barrow-in-Furness, Bolton, Warrington
Leicestershire Leicester 836 975,403 Leicester, Coalville, Hinckley, Loughborough, Lutterworth, Melton Mowbray
Lincolnshire Lincoln 2,687 1,038,510 Lincoln, Boston, Grantham, Grimsby, Louth, Scunthorpe, Skegness, Stamford
Londonderry Londonderry 816 247,971 Londonderry, Coleraine, Limavady
Merionethshire Merioneth 676 37,874 Bala, Barmouth, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Dolgellau, Harlech, Tywyn
Middlesex Middlesex 285 4,000,927 London, Brentford, Westminster, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Potters Bar, Staines, Twickenham
Midlothian Edinburgh 362 621,610 Edinburgh, Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith, Musselburgh, Penicuik
Monmouthshire Monmouth 542 514,723 Monmouth, Newport, Abergavenny, Blackwood, Chepstow, Cwmbran, Tredegar
Montgomeryshire Montgomery 796 61,956 Montgomery, Llanidloes, Machynlleth, Newtown, Welshpool
Morayshire Elgin/Moray 476 67,654 Elgin, Fochabers, Lossiemouth, Forres, Rothes
Nairnshire Nairn 200 13,894 Nairn, Auldearn, Cawdor
Norfolk Norfolk 2,057 807,721 Norwich, Cromer, East Dereham, Great Yarmouth, Hunstanton, King's Lynn
Northamptonshire Northampton 998 838,786 Northampton, Peterborough, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough
Northumberland Northumberland 2,019 797,006 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Alnwick, (Berwick-upon-Tweed), Hexham, Morpeth
Nottinghamshire Nottingham 843 1,096,617 Nottingham, Mansfield, Newark-on-Trent, Retford, Southwell, Worksop
Orkney Orkney 376 21,349 Kirkwall, Balfour, Stromness
Oxfordshire Oxford 754 512,345 Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Carterton, Henley-on-Thames, Thame, Witney
Peeblesshire Peebles 548 19,074 Peebles, Innerleithen, West Linton
Pembrokeshire Pembroke 625 122,122 Pembroke, Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Tenby, St David's
Perthshire Perth 2,493 156,371 Perth, Blairgowrie, Callander, Coupar Angus, Crieff, Kincardine, Pitlochry, Rattray
Radnorshire Radnor 470 25,821 Presteigne, Knighton, Llandrindod Wells, New Radnor, Rhayader
Renfrewshire Renfrew 245 508,064 Renfrew, Barrhead, Greenock, Johnstone, Kilmacolm, Paisley, Port Glasgow
Ross-shire Ross 3089 69503 Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon, Stornoway, Tain
Roxburghshire Roxburgh 666 50,800 Jedburgh, Hawick, Kelso, Melrose, Roxburgh
Rutland Rutland 152 37,677 Oakham, Cottesmore, Uppingham
Selkirkshire Selkirk 267 16,010 Selkirk, Galashiels
Shetland Shetland 551 23,167 Lerwick, Baltasound, Scalloway
Shropshire Shrewsbury/Salop 1,342 472,027 Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Market Drayton, Oswestry, Telford, Whitchurch
Somerset Somerset 1,633 1,053,504 Taunton, Bath, Bridgwater, Glastonbury, Wells, Weston-super-Mare, Yeovil
Staffordshire Stafford 1,176 2,159,392 Stafford, Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Cannock, Walsall
Stirlingshire Stirling 447 244,092 Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Denny, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Kilsyth
Suffolk Suffolk 1,505 775,099 Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Bungay, Felixstowe, Haverhill, Lowestoft, Sudbury
Surrey Surrey 759 2,975,836 Guildford, Brixton, Croydon, Egham, Farnham, Kingston upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Woking
Sussex Sussex 1,466 1,612,454 Chichester, Bognor Regis, Brighton, Crawley, Eastbourne, Hastings, Horsham, Worthing
Sutherland Sutherland 2,028 12,803 Dornoch, Brora, Durness, Golspie, Helmsdale, Lairg, Tongue
Tyrone Tyrone 1,260 178,440 Omagh, Cookstown, Dungannon, Strabane
Warwickshire Warwick 918 1,632,885 Warwick, Birmingham, Coventry, Nuneaton, Rugby, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon
West Lothian Linlithgow 120 154,830 Linlithgow, Armadale, Bathgate, Bo'ness, Broxburn, Livingston, Whitburn
Westmorland Westmorland 785 87,466 Appleby, Ambleside, Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale, Windermere
Wigtownshire Wigtown 487 26,618 Wigtown, Newton Stewart, Stranraer, Whithorn
Wiltshire Wilts 1,374 682,380 Salisbury, Chippenham, Devizes, Marlborough, Swindon, Trowbridge, Warminster
Worcestershire Worcester 709 1,125,037 Worcester, Dudley, Evesham, Great Malvern, Halesowen, Kidderminster, Stourbridge
Yorkshire York 6,081 5,218,838 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

See also

Notes and References

  1. Census Report, 1891 (General Register Office)

External references