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Administrative counties of England
 
 
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Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England
Subdivisions of England

The subdivisions of England consists of as many as four levels of administrative division and at some levels there are a variety of types of administrative entity....
 used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888
Local Government Act 1888

The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales....
 and abolished by the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in the United Kingdom in England and Wales, on 1 April 1974....
. They were replaced by the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government outside Greater London....
 which are often referred to, somewhat incorrectly, as administrative counties.
administrative counties didn't exist prior to 1889, see historic counties of England
Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxons kingdoms and shires....
 for the history of the English counties before then.

888 the government, led by the Tory Prime Minister Lord Salisbury established county council
County council

A County council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries....
s throughout England and Wales
England and Wales

England and Wales is a legal unit within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom....
, covering areas known as administrative counties
Administrative county

An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....
.






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Administrative counties were a level of subnational division of England
Subdivisions of England

The subdivisions of England consists of as many as four levels of administrative division and at some levels there are a variety of types of administrative entity....
 used for the purposes of local government from 1889 to 1974. They were created by the Local Government Act 1888
Local Government Act 1888

The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales....
 and abolished by the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in the United Kingdom in England and Wales, on 1 April 1974....
. They were replaced by the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government outside Greater London....
 which are often referred to, somewhat incorrectly, as administrative counties.

History

The administrative counties didn't exist prior to 1889, see historic counties of England
Historic counties of England

The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England established for administration by the Normans and in most cases based on earlier Anglo-Saxons kingdoms and shires....
 for the history of the English counties before then.

Introduction of county councils

In 1888 the government, led by the Tory Prime Minister Lord Salisbury established county council
County council

A County council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries....
s throughout England and Wales
England and Wales

England and Wales is a legal unit within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom....
, covering areas known as administrative counties
Administrative county

An administrative county was an administrative division in England and Wales and Ireland used for the purposes of local government. They are now abolished, although in Northern Ireland their former areas are used as the basis for lieutenancy....
. Excluded from administrative counties were the county borough
County borough

County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control....
s, which were what today are known as unitary authorities
Unitary authority

A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national government....
.

Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire is a Counties_of_the_United_Kingdom#England in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex, England and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west....
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a Counties of England in the east of England. It borders Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Rutland, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire....
, Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire is a landlocked Counties of England in the England East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the United Kingdom Census 2001....
, Suffolk
Suffolk

Suffolk is a Non-metropolitan counties of England of Historic counties of England in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south....
, Sussex
Sussex

Sussex , from the Old English Su?seaxe , is a Historic counties of England in South East England England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex....
, and Yorkshire
Yorkshire

Yorkshire is a Historic counties of England of northern England and the largest in Great Britain. Because of its great size, over time functions were increasingly undertaken by its subdivisions, which have been subject to History of local government in Yorkshire....
 were split up for administrative purposes, following historical divisions used by the Courts of Quarter Sessions
Quarter Sessions

The Courts of Quarter Sessions or Quarter Sessions were periodic courts held in each county and county borough in England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Assize courts they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court of England and Wales for England and Wales....
.

Additionally there was a County of London
County of London

The County of London was a ceremonial counties of England and administrative counties of England of England from 1889 to 1965. It bordered Middlesex to the north and west, Essex to the north east, Kent to the south east and Surrey to the south....
 which covered the area today known as Inner London
Inner London

Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time....
. The Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is an England island and county, located 3-8 km from the south coast of the mainland, in the English Channel. It is situated south of the county of Hampshire and is separated from mainland Britain by the Solent....
 was originally included under the administrative county of Hampshire
Hampshire

Hampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a Counties of England on the south coast of England....
 but obtained its own county council in 1890.

In 1894 a uniform two-tier system was established, with subdivisions of the administrative counties called urban district
Urban district

In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
s, rural district
Rural district

Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the Administrative county....
s and municipal borough
Municipal borough

Municipal boroughs were a type of local government which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002....
s. The structure was complete once the County of London was divided into metropolitan borough
Metropolitan borough

A metropolitan borough is a type of districts of England in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted royal charters to give them borough status in...
s in 1900.

Some exclaves had been left untouched by the 1844 Act, but in 1894
Local Government Act 1894

The Local Government Act 1894 was an act of parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London....
 county council
County council

A County council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries....
s were given the power to adjust county boundaries, and most anomalies were removed in the next few years. For example the Measham
Measham

Measham is a village in Leicestershire, near the Staffordshire and Derbyshire border, located just off the A42 road just south of Ashby-de-la-Zouch....
 area of Derbyshire
Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains....
 was placed under the control of Leicestershire
Leicestershire

Leicestershire County Hall, situated in Glenfield, Leicestershire, about 3 miles northwest of Leicester city centre, is the seat of Leicestershire County Council and the headquarters of the county authority....
 County Council in 1897.

Map 1890-1965

This map follows the usual practice of not showing county borough
County borough

County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control....
s. Instead, they were included in their 'host' county. When a county borough expanded into territory of a county that was not the one it came from, maps often showed this as an increase in size of the county the county borough was associated with. So, for example, Bristol
Bristol

Bristol is a City status in the United Kingdom, unitary authority area and Ceremonial counties of England in South West England, west of London, and east of Cardiff....
 south of the River Avon
River Avon, Bristol

The River Avon is a river in the south west of England. Because of a number of other Rivers Avon in England, this river is often also known as the Lower Avon or Bristol Avon....
 would be shown as part of Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a Counties of England in South West England England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
 rather than Somerset
Somerset

Somerset is a Counties of England in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The Ceremonial counties of England of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west....
.

Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)

Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen Historic counties of Wales of Wales and a former Administrative divisions of Wales....
, not shown on the map, was reckoned for some legal purposes among the English counties for most of this period.

The 1889 Act did not contain a list of the administrative counties: it was not until 1933 and the passing of a new Local Government Act
Local Government Act 1933

The Local Government Act 1933 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated and revised existing legislation that regulated local government in England and Wales....
 that they were enumerated in the Act's schedule. In official legislation the suffix "shire
Shire

A shire is a traditional administrative division of United Kingdom and Australia. Shire has been effectively synonymous with county since the Norman Conquest....
" was generally not used: references being to (for example) "the administrative county of Bedford" or the "county council of Northampton". In the case of Lancashire and Cheshire the councils were officially the "county council of the palatine county". Shropshire was always officially entitled the "county of Salop". The right of Berkshire
Berkshire

Berkshire is a Home Counties in the South East England of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1958, and Letters patent issued confirming...
 to be described as a "royal county" was recognised by the monarch in 1958. On April 1, 1959 the administrative county of Southampton was renamed as Hampshire.

This system was the basis of the ceremonial counties
Ceremonial counties of England

The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies Act 1997 with reference to the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England and Lieutenancies Act 1997....
 used for Lieutenancy - except that Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Suffolk and Sussex were not split for Lieutenancy. (Yorkshire, however, was).

Area and population

The table lists the area and population of each administrative county at the censuses of 1891 and 1961.

Several county councils had administrative headquarters outside of their area. This was usually because the traditional county town
County town

A county town is the 'capital' of a county in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county....
 was a county borough. The headquarters of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire county councils were moved from the county boroughs to locations within their respective administrative counties.

Administrative
County		Area
(statute acres)
1891		Population
1891		Area
(statute acres)
1961		Population
1961		Headquarters
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is a county in England that forms part of the East of England Regions of England.Its county town is Bedford, Bedfordshire. It borders Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire....
 		298,494 160,704 302,940 380,837Bedford
Bedford

Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Bedford . According to Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town of Kempston....
Berkshire
Berkshire

Berkshire is a Home Counties in the South East England of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1958, and Letters patent issued confirming...
 		455,864 176,109 454,726 385,017Reading
Reading, Berkshire

Reading is a town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, midway between London and Swindon off the M4 motorway....
†
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire is a Ceremonial counties of England and Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England home counties Counties of England in South East England England....
 		475,694 185,284 479,405 488,233Aylesbury
Aylesbury

See also: Aylesbury Urban AreaAylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in south east England. In the United Kingdom Census 2001 the Aylesbury Urban Area, which includes Bierton, Fairford Leys, Stoke Mandeville and Watermead, Buckinghamshire, had a population of 69,021, which included 56,392 for the Aylesbury civil parish....
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire is a Counties_of_the_United_Kingdom#England in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex, England and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west....
 		310,306 121,961 315,166 190,384Cambridge
Cambridge

The city status in the United Kingdom of Cambridge is a College town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies about 50 miles north of London....
Cheshire
Cheshire

Cheshire is a Counties of England in North West England. The county town, and the location of the county council, is the City status in the United Kingdom of Chester, although Cheshire's largest town in terms of area and population is Warrington....
646,627 536,644 621,884 475,313Chester
Chester

Chester is the county town of Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, Wales, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider local government district of the Chester , which had a population of 118,210 according to the United Kingdom Census 2001....
 (1)
Cornwall
Cornwall

Cornwall , constitutional Duchy and palatine, is a metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England of England, United Kingdom, located at the tip of the south-western peninsula of Great Britain....
 		868,208 322,571 868,260 342,301Truro
Truro

Truro is a City status in the United Kingdom in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, and is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population of 20,920....
Cumberland
Cumberland

Cumberland is one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an Administrative counties of England from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
 		970,161 266,549 967,054 223,202Carlisle
Carlisle

Carlisle is in the City of Carlisle, a district of Cumbria in North West England. It is located at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, River Caldew and River Petteril, south of the Anglo-Scottish border....
†(2)
Derbyshire
Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains....
 		654,100 426,768 635,459 745,212Derby
Derby

Derby is a city status in the United Kingdom in the East Midlands region of England in the United Kingdom. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent, Derbyshire and is located in the south of the non-metropolitan county of Derbyshire....
† until 1958, Matlock thereafter
Devon
Devon

Devon is a large Counties of England in South West England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name, rarely used inside of the county but often indicating a shire....
 		1,661,914 455,353 1,649,434 539,021Exeter
Exeter

Exeter Exeter was the most south-westerly Roman fortified settlement in Roman Britain and has existed since time immemorial. Exeter Cathedral, founded in 1050 is Anglicanism....
†(3)
Dorset
Dorset

Dorset , is a Counties of England in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester, Dorset, situated in the south of the county at ....
 		632,272 194,517 633,745 313,460Dorchester
Durham
County Durham

County Durham is a Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England of Historic counties of England in North East England England. The county town is Durham.The largest settlement in the county is the town of Darlington....
 		639,436 721,461 620,278 951,956Durham
Durham

Durham is a city in North East England. It lies at the heart of the City of Durham local government district. It is the county town of County Durham....
Essex
Essex

Essex is a counties of England in the East of England England. The county town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common near the village of Langley, Essex, close to the Hertfordshire border, which reaches ....
980,839 579,355 959,755 1,859,916Chelmsford
Chelmsford

Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England - the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford . It is located northeast of Charing Cross in London....
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire is a Counties of England in South West England England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
 		790,833 384,552 773,295 494,885Gloucester
Gloucester

Gloucester is a city status in the United Kingdom, Non-metropolitan district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England region of England....
†
Hampshire
Hampshire

Hampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a Counties of England on the south coast of England....
 		938,098 386,849 929,951 762,599Winchester
Winchester

Winchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen, Hampshire....
Herefordshire
Herefordshire

Herefordshire is a Historic counties of England and Ceremonial counties of England Counties of England in the West Midlands Regions of England of England....
 		537,363 115,949 538,924 130,928Hereford
Hereford

Hereford is a cathedral city City status in the United Kingdom, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester....
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a Ceremonial counties of England and Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England Counties of England in the East of England region of England....
 		406,932 224,550 404,525 832,901Hertford
Hertford

Hertford is the affluent county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. Forming a civil parish, it has a population today of about 24,180 and boasts a wide selection of boutiques, bars and cafes....
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire

Huntingdonshire is a Non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Historic counties of England it was a Counties of England in its own right....
 		233,928 54,969 233,985 79,924Huntingdon
Huntingdon

Huntingdon is a town in the county of Cambridgeshire in East Anglia, England. The town was town charter in 1205. It was formerly the county town of Huntingdonshire, and is currently the seat of the Huntingdonshire non-metropolitan district....
Isle of Ely
Isle of Ely

The Isle of Ely is a historic region around the city of Ely now in Cambridgeshire, England but previously a county in its own right....
 		239,259 63,861 239,951 89,180March
Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is an England island and county, located 3-8 km from the south coast of the mainland, in the English Channel. It is situated south of the county of Hampshire and is separated from mainland Britain by the Solent....
 		93,342 78,672 94,142 95,752Newport
Newport, Isle of Wight

Newport is a civil parish and the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the United Kingdom Census 2001 The town is situated slightly to the north of the centre of the island, at the head of the navigable section of the River Medina, which flows northward t...
Kent
Kent

Kent is a Counties of England in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary....
 		971,849 785,674 971,125 1,671,436Maidstone
Maidstone

Maidstone is the county town of Kent, England, south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town linking Maidstone to Rochester and the Thames Estuary....
Lancashire
Lancashire

Lancashire is a Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England of Historic counties of England in the North West England of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea....
 		1,124,450 1,768,278 1,060,804 2,280,359Preston
Preston

Preston is a city and non-metropolitan district of Lancashire, in North West England. It is located on the north bank of the River Ribble, and was granted City status in the United Kingdom in 2002, becoming England's 50th city in the 50th year of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom's reign....
†
Leicestershire
Leicestershire

Leicestershire County Hall, situated in Glenfield, Leicestershire, about 3 miles northwest of Leicester city centre, is the seat of Leicestershire County Council and the headquarters of the county authority....
 		520,400 200,468 515,404 409,098Leicester
Leicester

Leicester is a city status in the United Kingdom and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire....
† until 1967, Glenfield
Glenfield, Leicestershire

Glenfield is a village and civil parish in Leicestershire, England. It is part of the Blaby district, and has a population of about 10,000. Its location at the northwestern fringe of the city of Leicester effectively makes it a suburb, although it is politically and administratively separate....
 thereafter
Lincolnshire - Parts of Holland 255,252 75,522 267,847 103,327Boston
Boston, Lincolnshire

Boston is a town and small port in Lincolnshire, on the east coast of England. It is the largest town of the wider Boston local government district and has a total population of 35,124....
Lincolnshire - Parts of Kesteven
Kesteven

The Parts of Kesteven are a traditional subdivision of Lincolnshire, England. This subdivision had long had a separate county administration , along with the other two parts Lindsey and Holland, Lincolnshire)....
 		471,749 105,910 462,100 134,842Sleaford
Sleaford

Sleaford is a town within the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is thirteen miles northeast of Grantham and seventeen miles west of Boston, Lincolnshire, and had a total resident population of around 14,500 in 6,167 households at the time of the 2001 census....
Lincolnshire - Parts of Lindsey
Lindsey

Lindsey was a unit of local government until 1974 in Lincolnshire, England, covering the northern part of the county. The Isle of Axholme, which is on the west side of the River Trent, has normally formed part of it....
 		961,327 199,095 961,038 505,427Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of around 101,000 - the 2001 census gave the entire urban area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
†
London
County of London

The County of London was a ceremonial counties of England and administrative counties of England of England from 1889 to 1965. It bordered Middlesex to the north and west, Essex to the north east, Kent to the south east and Surrey to the south....
 		75,442 4,232,118 74,903 3,200,484Spring Gardens
Spring Gardens

Spring Gardens is a street in London, England, crossing The Mall between Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square.It was named after the gardens which were previously on the site, which featured a trick fountain....
 until 1933, Lambeth
County Hall, London

County Hall is a building in Lambeth, London, that was the headquarters of London County Council and later the Greater London Council . The building is on the bank of the River Thames, just north of Westminster Bridge, facing west toward the City of Westminster, and close to the Palace of Westminster....
 thereafter
Middlesex
Middlesex

Middlesex , from the Old English Middelseaxe , is one of the 39 Historic counties of England of England and the List of counties of England by area in 1831....
 		149,046 560,012 148,691 2,234,543Westminster
Middlesex Guildhall

The Middlesex Guildhall is a building on the south-west corner of Parliament Square in London. It is currently closed for refurbishment for use as the site of the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council....
‡
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)

Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen Historic counties of Wales of Wales and a former Administrative divisions of Wales....
 		342,548 203,347 339,008336,566Newport
Newport

Newport is a City status in the United Kingdom and Administrative divisions of Wales in Wales, in the United Kingdom. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, located roughly between Cardiff and Bristol, it is the cultural capital and largest urban area in the Historic counties of Wales of Monmouthshire and is governed by the unitary authori...
†(4)
Norfolk
Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying Counties of England in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and with Suffolk to the south....
 		1,303,967 317,983 1,302,505 388,005Norwich
Norwich

Norwich , is a city status in the United Kingdom in Norfolk, East Anglia which is in Eastern England. It is the regional administrative centre and county city of Norfolk....
†
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire

Northamptonshire is a landlocked Counties of England in the England East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the United Kingdom Census 2001....
 		584,759 203,247 578,947 292,584Northampton
Northampton

Northampton is a large market town and Non-metropolitan district in the East Midlands region of England. It is about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, and lies on the River Nene....
†
Northumberland
Northumberland

Northumberland is a Counties of England in the North East England of England. The non-metropolitan counties of England of Northumberland borders Cumbria to the west, County Durham to the south and Tyne and Wear to the south east, as well as having a border with the Scottish Borders council area to the north, and nearly eighty miles of Nort...
 		1,284,385 319,730 1,276,266 481,474Newcastle-upon-Tyne(5)
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire

Nottinghamshire is an Counties of England in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. The county town is traditionally Nottingham, though the council is now based in West Bridgford, a suburb of Greater Nottingham ....
 		528,817 231,946 521,647 591,089Nottingham
Nottingham

Nottingham is one of the three major city status in the United Kingdom in the East Midlands and is in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England....
† until 1959, West Bridgford
West Bridgford

West Bridgford is a town in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. West Bridgford is a suburb of Nottingham, despite being outside of the administrative boundaries of the City of Nottingham....
 thereafter
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in the South East England region, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire....
 		480,608 145,149 470,390 203,161Oxford
Oxford

Oxford is a City status in the United Kingdom, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. It has a population of 151,000. The rivers River Cherwell and River Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre....
†
Rutland
Rutland

Rutland is a Counties of England of mainland England, bounded on the west and north by Leicestershire, northeast by Lincolnshire, and southeast by Peterborough and Northamptonshire....
 		97,273 20,659 97,273 23,504Oakham
Oakham

|country= England|official_name= Oakham|latitude= 52.6705|longitude=-0.7333|population= 9,975 ...
Shropshire
Shropshire

Shropshire , alternatively known as Salop or abbreviated, in print only, Shrops, is a Counties of England in the West Midlands of England....
 		859,516 236,339 861,800 297,466Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury

Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is home to 70,689 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement of the borough of Shrewsbury and Atcham, which has a population of 95,850....
Soke of Peterborough
Soke of Peterborough

The Soke of Peterborough is an historic area of England that is traditionally associated with the Peterborough and Anglican Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire....
 		53,471 35,249 53,465 74,758Peterborough
Peterborough

Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of as of June 2006. For ceremonial counties of England purposes it is in the Counties of England of Cambridgeshire....
Somerset
Somerset

Somerset is a Counties of England in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The Ceremonial counties of England of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west....
 		1,039,106 386,866 1,026,043 518,145Taunton
Taunton

Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the non-metropolitan county of Somerset....
Staffordshire
Staffordshire

Staffordshire is a landlocked Counties of England in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Stafford. Part of the National Forest, England lies within its borders....
 		731,089 818,290 685,250 983,758Stafford
Stafford

Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire in England. It lies in the north of the West Midlands , between Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent. The population of Stafford was given in the 2001 census as 63,681, with that of the wider Stafford as 124,531....
East Suffolk
East Suffolk

East Suffolk, along with West Suffolk, was created in 1888 as an administrative county of England. The administrative county was based on the eastern quarter sessions division of Suffolk....
549,744 183,478 547,397 219,759Ipswich
Ipswich

Ipswich is a non-metropolitan district and the county town of Suffolk, England on the estuary of the River Orwell. Nearby towns are Felixstowe in Suffolk, Harwich in Essex and Colchester also in Essex....
†
West Suffolk
West Suffolk

West Suffolk was an administrative county of England created in 1889 from part of the county of Suffolk. It survived until 1974 when it was rejoined with East Suffolk....
389,870 120,952 390,915 128,918Bury St Edmunds
Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
 		452,218 418,856 449,1601,478,841 Newington
Newington, London

Newington is an area within the London Borough of Southwark in London, England. It was the site of the early administration of the county of Surrey and the location of the County of London Sessions House from 1917, in a building now occupied by the Inner London Crown Court....
‡, moved to Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames

Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in south-west London.It was the ancient market town where Anglo-Saxons kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross....
 in 1893 (6)
East Sussex
East Sussex

East Sussex is a Counties of England in South East England England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey, Brighton and Hove and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel....
525,904 240,264 494,580 375,349Lewes
Lewes

Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and gives its name to the Local government district in which it lies. The settlement has a long history as a bridging point and as a market town, and is today an important communications hub, and tourist-orientated town....
West Sussex
West Sussex

West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial counties of England until 1974 and the coming into force of the Local Government...
389,870 120,952 405,351 411,613Chichester
Chichester

Chichester is a cathedral city status in the United Kingdom in West Sussex, England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Ancient Rome past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings....
Warwickshire
Warwickshire

Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton in the far north of the county....
 		562,797 307,193 558,684 612,768Warwick
Warwick

Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, Warwickshire, 18 km south of Coventry and 4 km west of Leamington Spa , with a population of 25,434 .....
Westmorland
Westmorland

Westmorland is an area of north-west England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
 		500,906 66,098 504,917 67,180Kendal
Kendal

Kendal is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It is south of Carlisle, on the River Kent, and has a total resident population of 27,521, making it the third largest settlement in Cumbria ....
Wiltshire
Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a Ceremonial counties of England in the South West England of England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire....
 		880,248 264,997 860,607 422,985Trowbridge
Trowbridge

Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
Worcestershire
Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a county located in the West Midlands of central England. From 1974 to 1998 it was administered as part of Hereford and Worcester....
 		473,542 296,661 514,341 441,069Worcester
Worcester

Worcester is a City status in the United Kingdom and county town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles southwest of Birmingham, 29 miles north of Gloucester, and has an estimated population of 94,300 people....
†
Yorkshire - East Riding
East Riding of Yorkshire

The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan district with unitary authority status, and is a ceremonial counties of England of England....
 		741,827 141,516 735,963 224,031Beverley
Beverley

Beverley is a market town, civil parish and the county town of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, located between the River Hull and the Westwood....
Yorkshire - North Riding
North Riding of Yorkshire

The North Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of the England counties of England of Yorkshire, alongside the East Riding of Yorkshire and West Riding of Yorkshire Riding ....
 		1,358,101 284,837 1,376,607 396,707Northallerton
Northallerton

Northallerton is a market town in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England. It lies in the Vale of Mowbray and at the northern end of the Vale of York....
Yorkshire - West Riding
West Riding of Yorkshire

The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of the three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county, County of York, West Riding , was based closely on the historic boundaries....
 		1,701,386 1,351,570 1,606,921 1,678,010Wakefield
Wakefield

Wakefield lies at the heart of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder, it had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
†(7)
† County borough, outside the administrative county

‡ In the administrative county of London

(1)Chester Castle
Chester Castle (parish)

Chester Castle is an area around the Chester Castle in Chester. It was historically an extra-parochial area and today remains a civil parish,although with no inhabitants....
, in which County Hall is situated, was a civil parish within the Chester Rural District
Chester Rural District

Chester was a rural district of Cheshire, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was based around the city and county borough of Chester but did not include it....
 and thus within the administrative county not the county borough.

(2)County borough from 1914

(3)Devon County Buildings Area transferred from the county borough to the administrative county of Devon (of which it formed an exclave
Exclave

An exclave is strip of land that belongs to a political entity but that is not connected to it by land . The strip of land is surrounded by other political entities....
) in 1963

(4)County borough from 1891

(5)Moot Hall Precincts were an exclave of the administrative county within the county borough of Newcastle upon tyne

(6)The decision to move the county council headquarters was made on April 15, 1890, and the new county hall opened november 14, 1893. Kingston was removed from the administrative county of Surrey in 1965, becoming part of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is a London borough in south-west London, England. The main town in the borough is Kingston upon Thames, but it covers a wider area also including places such as Surbiton, Chessington, New Malden and Tolworth....
 in Greater London
Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London , the City of Westminster and the other 31 London boroughs....


(7)County borough from 1915

Alterations in boundaries

The boundaries of the administrative counties changed considerably over time. The reasons for this were threefold: the growth of towns on either side of an existing boundary, the creation and extension of county boroughs and the elimination of outlying exclaves and other anomalies.

As urbanisation increased, and suburbs were built on a scale not seen before, the urban areas surrounding various towns and cities started to cross traditional county borders. The Local Government Act 1888
Local Government Act 1888

The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales....
 provided that in the case that an urban sanitary district crossed a county border, the entire district would be considered part of the county in which the larger part was. This condition was maintained with the expansion of urban district
Urban district

In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
s and municipal borough
Municipal borough

Municipal boroughs were a type of local government which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002....
s.

Towns that were split by historic borders and were unified in one administrative county include Banbury
Banbury

Banbury is a market town and civil parish in the district of Cherwell in northern Oxfordshire, England, located on the River Cherwell. It lies northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford....
, Mossley
Mossley

Mossley is a small town and civil parish within the Tameside, in Greater Manchester, England. The town is located in the upper section of the River Tame, Greater Manchester valley in the foothills of the Pennines, northeast of Ashton-under-Lyne and east of Manchester....
, Tamworth
Tamworth

Tamworth is a town and Non-metropolitan district in Staffordshire, England, located 14 miles north-east of Birmingham city centre and 103 miles north-west of London....
, Todmorden
Todmorden

Todmorden is a market town and civil parish, within the Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the Upper Calder Valley and has a total population of 11,826....
.

Urban districts to annex areas in another counties include:

  • Little Bowden
    Little Bowden

    Little Bowden is a conurbation of Market Harborough in Leicestershire. As a village it was formerly part of Northamptonshire....
     in Northamptonshire
    Northamptonshire

    Northamptonshire is a landlocked Counties of England in the England East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the United Kingdom Census 2001....
    , annexed by Market Harborough
    Market Harborough

    Market Harborough is a market town in Leicestershire, England. It has a population of 20,785 and is the administrative headquarters of Harborough District Council....
    , Leicestershire
    Leicestershire

    Leicestershire County Hall, situated in Glenfield, Leicestershire, about 3 miles northwest of Leicester city centre, is the seat of Leicestershire County Council and the headquarters of the county authority....
  • Mellor
    Mellor, Greater Manchester

    Mellor is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. Mellor, situated between Marple Bridge and New Mills, is a relatively small village that runs along a tributary of the River Goyt....
     and Ludworth
    Ludworth, Greater Manchester

    Ludworth was a Civil Parish in the county of Derbyshire, in England. It was created in 1896. It was part of Glossop Dale Rural District until 1934 when it was transferred to Chapel En le Frith Rural District....
    , in Derbyshire
    Derbyshire

    Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains....
    , annexed by Marple
    Marple, Greater Manchester

    Marple is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Goyt southeast of Stockport....
     in Cheshire (and now in Greater Manchester
    Greater Manchester

    Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of List of ceremonial counties of England by population. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Metropolitan Borough of...
    )


Additionally, the territory and population of administrative counties was reduced by the increasing numbers of county borough
County borough

County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control....
s, and extensions thereof. This was recognised as a problem, and the process of creation and enlargement of such boroughs was made more difficult by the Local Government (County Boroughs and Adjustments) Act 1926
Local Government (County Boroughs and Adjustments) Act 1926

The Local Government Act, 1926 was an Act of parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that amended the Local Government Act 1888, changing the process by which county boroughs could be created or extended....
. By June 1970 25% of the population were within the county boroughs.

On creation, many of the administrative counties had a number of exclaves
List of county exclaves in England and Wales 1844 - 1974

Until 1844 many of the counties in England and Wales had exclaves or detached parts, entirely surrounded by other counties. Most of these were dealt with by the Counties Act 1844, when they were absorbed by the county in which they were locally situated....
. During the 1890s most of these were eliminated, with parishes being exchanged between counties. The boundaries of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Wiltshire contained numerous enclaves and exclaves, and were realigned in 1931.

Greater London


Throughout the next century, debates took place about what should be done about local government in respect of the increasing urbanisation of the country. Proposals to expand or change county boroughs or to create larger urban counties were discussed, but nothing happened until 1963, when legislation was passed to come into effect in 1965.

The County of London was expanded and renamed Greater London
Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London , the City of Westminster and the other 31 London boroughs....
, taking three of the county boroughs, more of Surrey
Surrey

Surrey is a counties of England in the South East England of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire....
 and Kent
Kent

Kent is a Counties of England in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the River Thames estuary....
, parts of Essex
Essex

Essex is a counties of England in the East of England England. The county town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common near the village of Langley, Essex, close to the Hertfordshire border, which reaches ....
 and Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire is a Ceremonial counties of England and Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England Counties of England in the East of England region of England....
 and consuming nearly all of Middlesex
Middlesex

Middlesex , from the Old English Middelseaxe , is one of the 39 Historic counties of England of England and the List of counties of England by area in 1831....
 - the remaining parts being ceded to Surrey and Hertfordshire. Some other changes took place, such as the Soke of Peterborough
Soke of Peterborough

The Soke of Peterborough is an historic area of England that is traditionally associated with the Peterborough and Anglican Diocese of Peterborough, but considered part of Northamptonshire....
 and Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire

Huntingdonshire is a Non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Historic counties of England it was a Counties of England in its own right....
 being merged into Huntingdon and Peterborough
Huntingdon and Peterborough

Huntingdon and Peterborough was a short-lived administrative county in East Anglia in the United Kingdom. It existed from 1965 to 1974, when it became part of Cambridgeshire....
, and the merger of the original Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire

Cambridgeshire is a Counties_of_the_United_Kingdom#England in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex, England and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west....
 county council and the Isle of Ely
Isle of Ely

The Isle of Ely is a historic region around the city of Ely now in Cambridgeshire, England but previously a county in its own right....
 county council.

Map 1965-1974


The map below is shown with the county borough
County borough

County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control....
s immediately prior to 1974.

Abolition


In 1974 the administrative counties were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom, that reformed local government in the United Kingdom in England and Wales, on 1 April 1974....
 and replaced with the metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England
Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England

Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of subdivisions of England used for the purposes of local government outside Greater London....
.

See also


External links