Shire Counties In England Updated Jun 2026

Most shire counties are named after their principal town or a geographic feature.

The shire is also a landscape of geographical logic. is defined by the great plain of the Mersey and the salt towns of Nantwich and Middlewich. Derbyshire leaps from the industrial grime of the Erewash Valley to the sublime, heather-topped heights of Kinder Scout. Lancashire clings to the Irish Sea coast and the rain-soaked bulk of the Forest of Bowland. To know the shire is to know its geology: the limestone of the Cotswolds breeds wealth and sheep; the clay of the Midlands breeds hedgerows and oaks. shire counties in england

The word "shire" comes from the Old English scír , meaning a district or division under the care of an official. These divisions were established by Anglo-Saxon kings, primarily for tax collection and legal administration. Most shire counties are named after their principal