Scotland currently has 35 lieutenancy areas that are considered "shires" for ceremonial purposes. While the administrative structure has changed, names like Argyllshire , Inverness-shire , and Ross-shire remain in common usage and on maps.
The term "shire" comes from the Old English scir , meaning an administrative area governed by a "shire reeve" (the origin of the word ). England (23 counties): These include well-known areas like , Lancashire , and Oxfordshire . Some others, like , , and how many counties end in shire
They are: Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire (now part of Cambridgeshire admin), Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland? — No, Rutland has no “shire”. Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Yorkshire (historic single county). Also: Middlesex (historic, now mostly Greater London) — ends in “-sex”, not “shire”. So not included. Scotland currently has 35 lieutenancy areas that are
| Definition | Number ending in “-shire” | Notes | |------------|--------------------------|-------| | | 21 | Standard pub quiz / UK general knowledge answer | | Historic counties of England | 25 | Includes Huntingdonshire; pre-1974 | | Historic shires of Scotland | ~27 | But not current administrative | | Historic counties of Wales | ~13 | Not modern | | Current UK administrative counties | ~21 (just England) | Most other UK areas don’t use “shire” now | England (23 counties): These include well-known areas like
: Bedfordshire , Berkshire , Buckinghamshire , Cambridgeshire , Cheshire , Derbyshire , Gloucestershire , Hampshire , Herefordshire , Hertfordshire .
“Shire” comes from Old English scir , meaning an administrative district or territory. In Britain, it historically referred to a county where the main town (the “county town”) had the suffix “-shire” attached to its name — e.g., Gloucestershire (from Gloucester), Yorkshire (from York).