The United Kingdom is made up of 4 countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each of these countries has their own counties within them.
Here we take a look at the counties of the UK and their history, regions and folklore and what they all have in common. Natural borders like mountains, lakes, and vast meadows partition the land, preserved today as a collection of stunning heritage sites and hauntingly beautiful landscapes for our enjoyment.
Content
- Counties of the UK
- What does the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and the British Isles have in Common?
- The UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
- Pride and Prejudice and a Fabulous County
- The Shires
Counties of The UK
Ireland includes The Republic of Ireland which is not part of the UK. The War of Independence and the Anglo-Irish treaty (1921) saw the partition of Northern Ireland and The Irish Free States later called The Republic Of Ireland.
There are over 100 counties in the UK. But this number is complicated because they are grouped for administration purposes.
- Historic Counties (set up as a system of administration by the Normans)
- Administrative Counties (each county in the UK has its own system of local government)
- *Ceremonial Counties (known as such in England)
- *Preserved Counties (known as such in Wales)
- *Lieutenancy Counties (known as such in Scotland and Northern Ireland)
*These types of counties are headed by representatives of The British Monarch and known as the Lord Lieutenants; originally they were responsible for handling matters like raising an Army, and keeping the monarch informed. These days if you want a meeting with the King, or would like him to sign a special celebratory card for someone, you might like to get in touch with your local Lord Lieutenant,who can arrange such things.
The names and boundaries of Ceremonial counties are closely aligned with historic counties.
What do the United Kingdom, Great Britain and the British Isles have in common?
Well where shall I start! Counties, places to settle down and live in, were made or built by our ancient ancestors, at first walking like nomads, setting up camp for the night, week, then longer, in places that were able to supply them with water and shelter. The shift from ‘marching on’ from one place to another was replaced by a new lifestyle of settling in villages. Permanent settlements were brought about by factors such as being able to rely on a more stable food supply and means to domesticate animals.
The landscape today is filled with evidence of these early community and social structures.
There are haunting mountains and hills, forests, lakes and rivers, and architectural buildings of magnificents that abound this great Isle.
There is great beauty in historical monuments, parks and gardens, ancient and heritage sites, natural environments, family history, traditional foods, haunting historical accommodation, famous past residents’ abodes and landmarks to explore. And on such a relatively small bunch of islands easy to get to – a car, train, ferry or aeroplane gets you to where you want to be pretty quickly.
The UK, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
The UK – or the United Kingdom of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Great Britain – This refers to England, Scotland and Wales and 200 inhabited islands off the coast, with many more uninhabited ones. It does not include any part of Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man.
The British Isles – This geographical term was originally termed in the 16th century, it has no legal status. The term refers to all islands in the archipelago (a closely scattered cluster of islands) The islands of Great Britain, the islands of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and however not geographically in the archipelago, the Channel Islands.
Want to know more? HERE
What we have in common is some wonderful places to visit. The land is filled with history and every county has their haunting own tales to tell.
There are 9 official regions of England
1.East of England: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
2.East Midlands: Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, and Rutland.
3.Greater London: Greater London and City of London.
4.North East England: Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham.
5.North West England: Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.
6.South East England: Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex.
7.South West England: Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire.
8.West Midlands: Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire.
9.Yorkshire and the Humber: West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire and parts of North Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
Northern Ireland is made up of 6 counties and jam-packed full of scenery and majesty.
They are – ANTRIM, ARMAGH, DOWN, DERRY/LONDONDERRY, FERMANAGH (known for the Cuilcagh Boardwalk Trail-AKA The Stairway to Heaven, and TYRONE, where you can find The famous Beaghmore Stone Circles (a Bronze-age megalithic stone circle feature)
and Southern Ireland 26 counties –Scotland has not used the term ‘Counties’ since the 1970’s instead it has 33 Council areas.
Okay let’s begin with some hauntingly fabulous stories:
Pride and Prejudice and a Fabulous County
Jane Austin’s second novel was a love story between Elizabeth Bennet and a Mr Darcy, also a county!
The popular TV series Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, showed a most memorable scene for most of us. While in a horse- drawn carriage Aunt Gardiner broke the news to her niece Elizabeth Bennet saying they were ‘indeed on their way to her favourite county’ – Derbyshire.
Doubtful and not best pleased, ‘Lizzy’ replied ‘Oh! But Derbyshire has many beauties, has it not?!
‘Indeed’ her Aunt replied, warming to her subject. ‘To me Derbyshire is the best of all counties’ You will judge for yourself if Chatsworth is not the equal to Blenheim’
‘And surely these Southern counties have nothing to compare to the wild and untamed beauty of the Peaks’
‘You will see nature and culture in harmony Lizzy. Wildness and artifice, and all in one perfect county!’
Blenheim Palace – In the County of Oxfordshire
In modern times for us now, Blenheim Palace does Halloween, which can be rather scary for the kids but great fun for the adults.
Want to know more? HERE
The Shires
Among all these counties—within which you are sure to find a favourite—countless changes have occurred. Through various political upheavals and the colourful history of the British monarchy, this land has been sliced, divided, and controlled by many different rulers.
The ‘Shires’ were the ancient administrative division of England governed by Anglo Saxon rule, the official overseer being known as a ‘Shire-reeve’ or sheriff. The shires were further split into ‘hundreds’ or ‘wapentakes’, which is an old Norse word for ‘Act of grabbing’
The land in the UK (that term not used until 1801) being largely agricultural after the Norman conquest, was mostly controlled by the gentry who rented farms and land out.
After the 1066 invasion the word shires was dropped for counties after the French word ‘Conte’ or Count, as each of these parcels of land were now in the new administration of the Count.
Land was split up by natural features, and boundaries such as rivers, mountains and hills, lakes, forests, seascapes, rolling countryside, and vast open fields of green; all hold incredible sites, buildings, and breathtaking hauntingly beautiful wonders for us now to enjoy at our leisure.
We will continue to explore these counties and council areas and their regions in more wonderful detail. I will share with you some amazing tales about the history of these places. And discover together fantastic places to eat, drink, play and rest in.
The historical haunts of Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland, are filled with almost too much to see, but we will endeavour to march on and ‘fill our boots’ as it were. Those of us who love the land, love history, and love being reminded of the stories from the past.
Until next time dear friends x
