Where a distinction has to be made with statutory "counties" so called for administrative purposes, the counties are variously known as historic counties, traditional counties or ancient or geographical counties[1].
The counties have no administrative function, existing as geographical and cultural areas. Most of the counties have an existence stretching back to the Middle Ages and almost all of the English counties have been established for over a thousand years. Even the relatively young Highland shires, only 450 years old as such, have a much older existence as geographical and cultural areas.
In this time many activities many activities and much social understanding and local identity has grown up intertwined with the counties, and so they have become a vital part of British and Irish culture.
Until the late twentieth century, administrative functions have been carried on using the counties' boundaries or approximations to them, and so centuries of public records have been organised county by county, for which reason an understanding of the counties is vital for genealogical and historic research.
| Name | County of | Area (sq m) | Population | Principal towns in the county
|
| Aberdeenshire | Aberdeen | 1,950 | 370,716 | Aberdeen, Ellon, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Inverurie, Peterhead, Turriff
|
| Anglesey | Anglesey | 276 | 66,829 | Beaumaris, Amlwch, Holyhead, Llangefni, Menai Bridge
|
| Angus | Forfar | 889 | 254,911 | Forfar, Dundee, Arbroath, Brechin, Carnoustie, Kirriemuir, Montrose
|
| Antrim | Antrim | 1,175 | - | Belfast, Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Carnlough, Larne, Portrush
|
| Argyllshire | Argyll | 3,110 | 59,862 | Lochgilphead, Campbeltown, Dunoon, Inverary, Oban, Tobermory
|
| Armagh | Armagh | 512 | 159,085 | Armagh, Newry
|
| Ayrshire | Ayr | 1,129 | 361,657 | Ayr, Cumnock, Irvine, Kilmarnock, Kilwinning, Largs, Saltcoats, Troon
|
| Banffshire | Banff | 641 | 43,924 | Banff, Buckie, Dufftown, Keith, Macduff, Portsoy
|
| Bedfordshire | Bedford | 465 | - | Bedford, Biggleswade, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Luton, Sandy
|
| Berkshire | Berks | 722 | - | Reading, Abingdon, Bracknell, Maidenhead, Newbury, Windsor, Wokingham
|
| Berwickshire | Berwick | 457 | 23,969 | Greenlaw, Coldstream, Duns, Eyemouth, Lauder
|
| Brecknockshire | Brecon | 743 | 55,570 | Brecon, Builth Wells, Hay-on-Wye, Llanwrtyd Wells, Talgarth
|
| Buckinghamshire | Buckingham | 745 | - | Aylesbury, Buckingham, High Wycombe, Milton Keynes, Slough
|
| Buteshire | Bute | 225 | 13,720 | Rothesay, Brodick, Lochranza, Millport
|
| Caernarfonshire | Caernarfon | 480 | 127,857 | Caernarfon, Bangor, Conwy, Llandudno, Porthmadog, Pwllheli
|
| Caithness | Caithness | 618 | 25,587 | Wick, Castletown, Halkirk, Thurso
|
| Cambridgeshire | Cambridge | 820 | - | Cambridge, Ely, Chatteris, March, Whittlesey, Wisbech
|
| Cardiganshire | Cardigan | 815 | 74,941 | Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Lampeter, New Quay, Tregaron
|
| Carmarthenshire | Carmarthen | 1,095 | 172,842 | Carmarthen, Ammanford, Kidwelly, Llandovery, Llanelli, St Clears
|
| Cheshire | Chester | 1,027 | - | Chester, Birkenhead, Crewe, Macclesfield, Runcorn, Stockport, Wallasey
|
| Clackmannanshire | Clackmannan | 48 | 47,451 | Clackmannan, Alloa, Dollar, Tillicoultry, Tullibody
|
| Cornwall | Cornwall | 1,349 | 499,114 | Bodmin, Truro, Camborne, Falmouth, Newquay, Penzance, Redruth, St Austell
|
| Cromartyshire | Cromarty | 370 | 71,536 | Cromarty, Ullapool
|
| Cumberland | Cumberland | 1,516 | - | Carlisle, Brampton, Keswick, Penrith, Whitehaven, Workington
|
| Denbighshire | Denbigh | 640 | 217,132 | Ruthin, Abergele, Denbigh, Llangollen, Wrexham
|
| Derbyshire | Derby | 1,029 | - | Derby, Ashbourne, Buxton, Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Matlock, Swadlincote
|
| Devon | Devon | 2,405 | - | Exeter, Plymouth, Barnstaple, Newton Abbot, Paignton, Tavistock, Tiverton, Torquay
|
| Dorset | Dorset | 980 | - | Dorchester, Poole, Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Weymouth, Wimborne Minster
|
| Down | Down | 950 | - | Downpatrick, Bangor, Holywood, Newcastle, Strangford
|
| Dumfriesshire | Dumfries | 1,063 | 74,605 | Dumfries, Annan, Gretna, Langholm, Lockerbie, Moffat, Sanquhar
|
| Dunbartonshire | Dunbarton | 241 | 280,889 | Dumbarton, Alexandria, Clydebank, Cumbernauld, Helensburgh, Kirkintilloch
|
| Durham | Durham | 1,015 | - | Durham, Gateshead, Darlington, Hartlepool, Stockton-on-Tees, Sunderland, Washington
|
| East Lothian | Haddington | 267 | 66,097 | Haddington, Dunbar, East Linton, North Berwick, Tranent
|
| Essex | Essex | 1,542 | - | Chelmsford, Basildon, Brentwood, Colchester, Harlow, Romford, Southend-on-Sea, Stratford
|
| Fermanagh | Fermanagh | 715 | 57,527 | Enniskillen, Belleek, Irvinestown
|
| Fife | Fife | 504 | 349,344 | Cupar, Dunfermline, Burntisland, Cowdenbeath, Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, St Andrews
|
| Flintshire | Flint | 640 | 212,718 | Mold, Connah's Quay, Buckley, Flint, Holywell, Prestatyn, Rhyl, St Asaph
|
| Glamorgan | Glamorgan | 845 | 1,178,642 | Cardiff, Swansea, Barry, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath, Pontypridd
|
| Gloucestershire | Gloucester | 1,225 | - | Gloucester, Bristol, Cheltenham, Cirencester, Stroud, Tewkesbury
|
| Hampshire | Southampton | 1,622 | - | Winchester, Portsmouth, Southampton, Basingstoke, Bournemouth, Newport
|
| Herefordshire | Hereford | 833 | - | Hereford, Bromyard, Kington, Ledbury, Leominster, Ross-on-Wye
|
| Hertfordshire | Hertford | 727 | - | Hertford, St Albans, Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Watford
|
| Huntingdonshire | Huntingdon | 359 | - | Huntingdon, Ramsey, St Ives, St Neots, Yaxley
|
| Inverness-shire | Inverness | 4,211 | 108,465 | Inverness, Fort William, Kingussie, Newtonmore, Portree
|
| Kent | Kent | 1,555 | - | Maidstone, Canterbury, Bromley, Dover, Folkestone, Greenwich, Rochester
|
| Kincardineshire | Kincardine | 380 | 51,295 | Stonehaven, Banchory, Inverbervie, Laurencekirk
|
| Kinross-shire | Kinross | 73 | 10,967 | Kinross, Milnathort
|
| Kirkcudbrightshire | Kirkcudbright | 899 | 46,206 | Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas, Dalbeattie, New Galloway
|
| Lanarkshire | Lanark | 879 | 860,936 | Lanark, Glasgow, Coatbridge, Carluke, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Motherwell
|
| Lancashire | Lancaster | 1,880 | - | Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Barrow-in-Furness, Bolton, Warrington
|
| Leicestershire | Leicester | 800 | - | Leicester, Coalville, Hinckley, Loughborough, Lutterworth, Melton Mowbray
|
| Lincolnshire | Lincoln | 2,646 | - | Lincoln, Boston, Grantham, Grimsby, Louth, Scunthorpe, Skegness, Stamford
|
| Londonderry | Londonderry | 816 | 233,500 | Londonderry, Coleraine, Limavady
|
| Merionethshire | Merioneth | 780 | 37,260 | Bala, Barmouth, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Dolgellau, Harlech, Tywyn
|
| Middlesex | Middlesex | 285 | - | London, Brentford, Westminster, Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, Potters Bar, Staines, Twickenham
|
| Midlothian | Edinburgh | 362 | 555,418 | Edinburgh, Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith, Musselburgh, Penicuik
|
| Monmouthshire | Monmouth | 530 | 503,917 | Monmouth, Newport, Abergavenny, Blackwood, Chepstow, Cwmbran, Tredegar
|
| Montgomeryshire | Montgomery | 780 | 59,474 | Montgomery, Llanidloes, Machynlleth, Newtown, Welshpool
|
| Morayshire | Elgin/Moray | 476 | 63,142 | Elgin, Fochabers, Lossiemouth, Forres, Rothes
|
| Nairnshire | Nairn | 200 | 10,980 | Nairn, Auldearn, Cawdor
|
| Norfolk | Norfolk | 2,044 | - | Norwich, Cromer, East Dereham, Great Yarmouth, Hunstanton, King's Lynn
|
| Northamptonshire | Northampton | 984 | - | Northampton, Peterborough, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough
|
| Northumberland | Northumberland | 2,018 | - | Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Alnwick, (Berwick-upon-Tweed), Hexham, Morpeth
|
| Nottinghamshire | Nottingham | 825 | - | Nottingham, Mansfield, Newark-on-Trent, Retford, Southwell, Worksop
|
| Orkney | Orkney | 376 | 19,245 | Kirkwall, Balfour, Stromness
|
| Oxfordshire | Oxford | 756 | - | Oxford, Banbury, Bicester, Carterton, Henley-on-Thames, Thame, Witney
|
| Peeblesshire | Peebles | 548 | 17,394 | Peebles, Innerleithen, West Linton
|
| Pembrokeshire | Pembroke | 655 | 114,131 | Pembroke, Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Tenby, St David's
|
| Perthshire | Perth | 2,493 | 155,436 | Perth, Blairgowrie, Callander, Coupar Angus, Crieff, Kincardine, Pitlochry, Rattray
|
| Radnorshire | Radnor | 485 | 24,805 | Presteigne, Knighton, Llandrindod Wells, New Radnor, Rhayader
|
| Renfrewshire | Renfrew | 245 | 612,369 | Renfrew, Barrhead, Greenock, Johnstone, Kilmacolm, Paisley, Port Glasgow
|
| Ross-shire | Ross | 3,089 | 71,536 | Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon, Stornoway, Tain
|
| Roxburghshire | Roxburgh | 666 | 46,302 | Jedburgh, Hawick, Kelso, Melrose, Roxburgh
|
| Rutland | Rutland | 152 | 34,563 | Oakham, Cottesmore, Uppingham
|
| Selkirkshire | Selkirk | 267 | 17,757 | Selkirk, Galashiels
|
| Shetland | Shetland | 551 | 21,988 | Lerwick, Baltasound, Scalloway
|
| Shropshire | Shrewsbury/Salop | 1,343 | 441,498 | Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Market Drayton, Oswestry, Telford, Whitchurch
|
| Somerset | Somerset | 1,640 | - | Taunton, Bath, Bridgwater, Glastonbury, Wells, Weston-super-Mare, Yeovil
|
| Staffordshire | Stafford | 1,171 | - | Stafford, Lichfield, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Cannock, Walsall
|
| Stirlingshire | Stirling | 447 | 208,267 | Stirling, Bridge of Allan, Denny, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Kilsyth
|
| Suffolk | Suffolk | 1,489 | - | Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Bungay, Felixstowe, Haverhill, Lowestoft, Sudbury
|
| Surrey | Surrey | 758 | - | Guildford, Brixton, Croydon, Egham, Farnham, Kingston upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Wandsworth, Wimbledon, Woking
|
| Sussex | Sussex | 1,458 | 1,493,755 | Chichester, Bognor Regis, Brighton, Crawley, Eastbourne, Hastings, Horsham, Worthing
|
| Sutherland | Sutherland | 2,028 | 12,408 | Dornoch, Brora, Durness, Golspie, Helmsdale, Lairg, Tongue
|
| Tyrone | Tyrone | 1,260 | 166,516 | Omagh, Cookstown, Dungannon, Strabane
|
| Warwickshire | Warwick | 885 | - | Warwick, Birmingham, Coventry, Nuneaton, Rugby, Solihull, Stratford-upon-Avon
|
| West Lothian | Linlithgow | 120 | 172,341 | Linlithgow, Armadale, Bathgate, Bo'ness, Broxburn, Livingston, Whitburn
|
| Westmorland | Westmorland | 783 | - | Appleby, Ambleside, Kendal, Kirkby Lonsdale, Windermere
|
| Wigtownshire | Wigtown | 487 | 26,827 | Wigtown, Newton Stewart, Stranraer, Whithorn
|
| Wiltshire | Wilts | 1,370 | - | Salisbury, Chippenham, Devizes, Marlborough, Swindon, Trowbridge, Warminster
|
| Worcestershire | Worcester | 738 | - | Worcester, Dudley, Evesham, Great Malvern, Halesowen, Kidderminster, Stourbridge
|
| Yorkshire
| York
| 6,066
| - | York
|
| East Riding: Kingston upon Hull, Beverley, Bridlington, Driffield, Filey, Hornsea
|
| North Riding: Middlesbrough, Northallerton, Redcar, Scarborough, Whitby
|
| West Riding: Bradford, Leeds, Sheffield, Wakefield, Halifax, Harrogate
|
