Editing Shire (section)

==Origins==
The system was first used in the kingdom of [[Wessex]] from the beginning of [[Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain|Anglo-Saxon settlement]], and spread to most of the rest of England in the 10th century, along with the West Saxon kingdom's political domination. In [[Domesday]] (1086) the city of [[York]] was divided into shires.<ref>Gareth Dean, ''Medieval York'' 2008:21.</ref> The first shires of Scotland were created in English-settled areas such as [[Lothian]] and the [[Scottish Borders|Borders]], in the 9th century. [[David I of Scotland|King David I]] more consistently created shires and appointed [[sheriff]]s across lowland ''shores'' of Scotland.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Sheriffdom of Clackmannan. A sketch of its history with a list of its sheriffs and excerpts from the records of court compiled from public documents and other authorities with preparatory notes on the office of Sheriff in Scotland, his powers and duties |last=Wallace |first=James |year=1890 |publisher=James Thin |location=Edinburgh |pages=7–19 }}</ref>

[[File:Three Shire Stones, 2 - geograph.org.uk - 3750888.jpg|thumb|right|Three Shire Stones (with smaller interior engraved stones dated to 1736), in [[Batheaston]], marking where the historic counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset (then Somersetshire) meet]]

The shire in early days was governed by an ''[[ealdorman]]'' and in the later Anglo-Saxon period by a royal official known as a "shire [[Reeve (England)|reeve]]" or [[Sheriff#Term|sheriff]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Anglo-Saxon origins of the English counties |url=https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2019/01/the-anglo-saxon-origins-of-the-english-counties.html |access-date=19 November 2024 |publisher=British Library}}</ref> The shires were divided into [[hundred (county subdivision)|hundreds]] or [[hundred (country subdivision)#Wapentake|wapentakes]], although other less common sub-divisions existed. An alternative name for a shire was a "sheriffdom" until [[sheriff court]] reforms separated the two concepts. The phrase "shire county" applies, unofficially, to [[non-metropolitan county|non-metropolitan counties]] in England, specifically those that are not local [[unitary authority]] areas. In Scotland the word "county" was not adopted for the shires. Although "county" appears in some texts, "shire" was the normal name until counties for statutory purposes were created in the 19th century. In Ireland "shire" was not used for the counties.

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]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Coleman |first1=Ed |title=How Kentville became the shiretown |url=https://www.saltwire.com/opinion/ed-coleman-history-how-kentville-became-the-shiretown-72178/?location=annapolis-valley |access-date=3 November 2020 |work=Annapolis Valley Register |publisher=SaltWire |date=19 May 2015 |ref=Coleman}}</ref>