Shire
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Shire (/ʃaɪər/, also /ʃɪər/) is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and the United States. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginning of Anglo-Saxon settlement, and spread to most of the rest of England in the tenth century. In some rural parts of Australia, a shire is a local government area; however, in Australia it is not synonymous with a "county", which is a lands administrative division.
Etymology
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The word shire derives from the
In regions with
Origins
The system was first used in the kingdom of
The shire in early days was governed by an
In most cases, the "shire town" is the seat of the shire's government, or was historically. Sometimes the nomenclature exists even where "county" is used in place of "shire" as in, for instance, Kentville in Nova Scotia.[5]
Shires in Australia
"Shire" is the most common word in
Three LGAs in outer metropolitan Sydney and four in outer metropolitan Melbourne have populations exceeding that of towns or municipalities, but retain significant bushlands and/or semi-rural areas, and most have continued to use "shire" in their titles whilst others have dropped it from theirs. These "city-shires" are:
Melbourne:
- Shire of Cardinia
- Shire of Mornington Peninsula (which is locally known as "The Peninsula")
- Shire of Nillumbik ("The Green Wedge Shire")
- Shire of Pakenham (1862–1994)
- Shire of Yarra Ranges
Sydney:
- Hornsby Shire ("The Bushland Shire")
- Sutherland Shire (which is locally referred to as "The Shire")
- The Hills Shire ("The Garden Shire", previously "Baulkham Hills Shire")
Shires in the United Kingdom
"Shire" also refers, in a narrower sense, to ancient counties with names that ended in "shire". These counties are typically (though not always) named after their
Shire names in England
Counties in England bearing the "-shire" suffix comprise: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and Yorkshire. These counties, on their historical boundaries, cover a little more than half the area of England. The counties that do not use "-shire" are mainly in three areas, in the south-east, south-west and far north of England. Several of these counties no longer exist as administrative units, or have had their administrative boundaries reduced by local government reforms. Several of the successor authorities retain the "-shire" county names, such as North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, and South Gloucestershire.
The county of Devon was historically known as Devonshire, although this is no longer the official name.[6] Indeed, it was retained by the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment until amalgamation in 2007. Similarly, Dorset, Rutland and Somerset were formerly known as Dorsetshire, Rutlandshire and Somersetshire, but these terms are no longer official, and are rarely used outside the local populations.
Hexhamshire was a county in the north-east of England from the early 12th century until 1572, when it was incorporated into Northumberland.
Shire names in Scotland
In Scotland, barely affected by the
"Shire" names in Scotland comprise
In Scotland four shires have alternative names with the "-shire" suffix: Angus (Forfarshire), East Lothian (Haddingtonshire), Midlothian (Edinburghshire) and West Lothian (Linlithgowshire).
Shire names in Wales
Shires in
Non-county "shires"
The suffix "-shire" could be a generalised term referring to a district. It did not acquire the strong association with
Non-county shires were very common in Scotland.
"The Shires"
Colloquially, the term "the Shires" has become used to refer to those counties, particularly of the southern
Shires in the United States
New York and New England
Before the
The word also survives in the name of the state of New Hampshire, whose co-founder, John Mason, named his Province of New Hampshire after the English county of Hampshire.
Vermont has 14 counties – each has one county seat or Shire, except the Shire Towns of Southwestern Vermont where there is a South Shire – Bennington and a North Shire – Manchester.
Virginia
In 1634, eight "shires" were created in the
only a few years later. They were:- Accomac Shire (since 1642 Northampton County, Virginia)
- Charles City Shire (since 1637 Charles City County, Virginia)
- Charles River Shire (since 1643 York County, Virginia)
- Elizabeth City Shire (became Elizabeth City County, Virginia in 1643)
- Henrico Shire (later became Henrico County, Virginia)
- James City Shire (about 1642-43 James City County, Virginia)
- Warwick River Shire (became consolidated with the City of Newport News, Virginia)
- Warrosquyoake Shire (became Isle of Wight County, Virginia)
Today, the concept of a "Shire" still exists in Virginia code. It is defined as a semi-autonomous subdivision of a consolidated City-County. Currently no Shires exist in the commonwealth and the administrative provision is largely unknown. [8]
See also
References
- ^ Harper, Douglas. "Shire". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
- ^ The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (1991) C.T. Onions, Ed., p. 821.
- ^ The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology (1991) C.T. Onions, Ed., p. 821.
- ^ Gareth Dean, Medieval York 2008:21.
- ^ Coleman, Ed (19 May 2015). "How Kentville became the shiretown". Annapolis Valley Register. SaltWire. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
- ^ "RootsWeb.com Home Page". freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016.
- ^ Cambridge Dictionary definition
- ^ "§ 15.2-3534. Optional provisions of consolidation agreement". law.lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
