Editing Shire

{{Short description|Traditional term for a division of land, found in some English-speaking countries}}
{{About|the administrative unit|other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}}

[[File:Three Shire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Three Shire Heads]] bridge, where three shires in England (Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire) meet]]
'''Shire''' ({{IPAc-en|S|aIr}}) is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in [[Great Britain]] and some other English-speaking countries. It is generally synonymous with [[county]] (such as [[Cheshire]] and [[Worcestershire]]). British counties are among the oldest extant national divisions in the world.

It was first used in [[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. Today, 23 counties bear the "-shire" suffix in England, 23 in [[Scotland]], and 10 in [[Wales]]. 

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 divisions of Australia|lands administrative division]].

==Etymology==
{{Multiple image
 | image1            = Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - scire (British Library Cotton MS Tiberius A VI, folio 11v).jpg
 | width1            = 170
 | alt1              = Handwritten word "scire"
 | image2            = Anglo-Saxon Chronicle - scira (British Library Cotton MS Tiberius A VI, folio 9v).jpg
 | width2            = 150
 | alt2              = Handwritten word "scira"
 | footer            = The ''[[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'' mentions locations ending or beginning with 'scire' or 'scira'.
}}

The word ''shire'' derives from the [[Old English language|Old English]] {{lang|ang|sċir}}, from the [[Proto-Germanic language|Proto-Germanic]] {{lang|gem-x-proto|skizo}} ({{langx|goh|scira}}), denoting an 'official charge' a 'district under a governor', and a 'care'.<ref>{{OEtymD|Shire|accessdate=2021-07-18}}</ref> In the UK, ''shire'' became synonymous with ''[[county]]'', an administrative term introduced to England through the [[Norman Conquest]] in the later part of the eleventh century. In contemporary British usage, the word ''counties'' also refers to shires, mainly in places such as [[Shire Hall]].<ref>''The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology'' (1991) C.T. Onions, Ed., p. 821.</ref>

In regions with [[Rhoticity in English|rhotic]] pronunciation, such as [[Scotland]], the word ''shire'' is pronounced {{IPAc-en|ʃ|aɪər}}; in areas of non-rhotic pronunciation, the final ''R'' is silent, unless the next word begins in a vowel sound. In England and Wales, when ''shire'' is a place-name suffix, the vowel is unstressed and usually shortened ([[monophthongized]]); the pronunciations include {{IPAc-en|ʃ|ər}} and {{IPAc-en|ʃ|ɪər}}, with the final ''R'' pronunciation depending on rhoticity. The vowel is normally reduced to a single [[schwa]], as in ''[[Leicestershire]]'' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɛ|s|t|ər|ʃ|ər}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɛ|s|t|ər|ʃ|ɪər}} and ''[[Berkshire]]'' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɑːr|k|ʃ|ər}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|ɑːr|k|ʃ|ɪər}}.<ref>''The Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology'' (1991) C.T. Onions, Ed., p. 821.</ref>

==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>

== 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 [[county town]]. The suffix ''-shire'' is attached to most of the names of English, Scottish and Welsh counties. It tends not to be found in the names of shires that were pre-existing divisions. [[Essex]], [[Kent]], and [[Sussex]], for example, have never borne a ''-shire'', as each represents a former [[Heptarchy|Anglo-Saxon kingdom]]. Similarly [[Cornwall]] was a [[Britons (historical)|British]] kingdom before it became an English county. The term "shire" is not used in the names of the [[Counties of Northern Ireland|six traditional counties]] of [[Northern Ireland]].

===Shire names in England===
[[Image:EnglandTraditionalShires.png|thumb|right|The [[historic counties of England]] — red indicates "-shire" counties, orange indicates where the "-shire" suffix is occasionally used]]
Counties in England bearing the "-shire" suffix are:
{{columns-list|colwidth=10em|
* [[Bedfordshire]]
* [[Berkshire]]
* [[Buckinghamshire]]
* [[Cambridgeshire]]
* [[Cheshire]]
* [[Derbyshire]]
* [[Gloucestershire]]
* [[Hampshire]]
* [[Herefordshire]]
* [[Hertfordshire]]
* [[Huntingdonshire]]
* [[Lancashire]]
* [[Lincolnshire]]
* [[Leicestershire]]
* [[Northamptonshire]]
* [[Nottinghamshire]]
* [[Oxfordshire]]
* [[Shropshire]]
* [[Staffordshire]]
* [[Warwickshire]]
* [[Wiltshire]]
* [[Worcestershire]]
* [[Yorkshire]]
}}
These counties, on their [[Historic counties of England|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|North]] [[Yorkshire]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire|East]] [[Yorkshire]], [[South Yorkshire|South]] [[Yorkshire]], [[West Yorkshire|West]] [[Yorkshire]], and [[South Gloucestershire]].

The county of [[Devon]] was historically known as Devonshire, although this is no longer the official name.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genmaps/genfiles/COU_files/ENG/DEV/bill_dev_1626.html|title=RootsWeb.com Home Page|website=freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603173043/http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genmaps/genfiles/COU_files/ENG/DEV/bill_dev_1626.html|archive-date=3 June 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> 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===
{{Main|Shires of Scotland}}

Scotland was barely affected by the [[Norman conquest of England]], and the word "shire" prevailed over "county" until the 19th century. Earliest sources have the same usage of the "-shire" suffix as in England (although in Scots this was most often {{lang|sco|schyr}}). Later, "Shire" appears as a separate word.

"Shire" names in Scotland are:
{{columns-list|colwidth=10em|
* [[Aberdeenshire (traditional)|Aberdeenshire]]
* [[Ayrshire]]
* [[Banffshire]]
* [[Berwickshire]]
* [[Clackmannanshire]]
* [[Cromartyshire]]
* [[Dumfriesshire]]
* [[Dunbartonshire]]
* [[Inverness-shire]]
* [[Kincardineshire]]
* [[Kinross-shire]]
* [[Kirkcudbrightshire]]
* [[Lanarkshire]]
* [[Morayshire]]
* [[Nairnshire]]
* [[Peeblesshire]]
* [[Perthshire]]
* [[Renfrewshire]]
* [[Ross-shire]]
* [[Roxburghshire]]
* [[Selkirkshire]]
* [[Stirlingshire]]
* [[Wigtownshire]]
}}
In Scotland four shires have alternative names with the "-shire" suffix: [[Angus, Scotland|Angus]] (Forfarshire), [[East Lothian]] (Haddingtonshire), [[Midlothian]] (Edinburghshire) and [[West Lothian (historic)|West Lothian]] (Linlithgowshire).

[[Sutherland]] is occasionally still referred to as Sutherlandshire. Similarly, [[Argyllshire]], [[Buteshire]], [[Caithness-shire]] and [[Fifeshire]] are sometimes found. Also, Morayshire was previously called Elginshire. There is debate about whether Argyllshire was ever really used.

===Shire names in Wales===
Shires in [[Wales]] bearing the "-shire" suffix ({{lang|cy|Sir}} preceding the name in Welsh) are:
{{columns-list|colwidth=10em|
* [[Brecknockshire]] (or Breconshire)
* [[Caernarfonshire]] (historically Carnarvonshire)
* [[Ceredigion|Cardiganshire]] ({{langx|cy|Ceredigion}})
* [[Carmarthenshire]]
* [[Denbighshire (historic)|Denbighshire]]
* [[Flintshire (historic)|Flintshire]]
* [[Monmouthshire (historic)|Monmouthshire]]
* [[Montgomeryshire]]
* [[Pembrokeshire]]
* [[Radnorshire]]. 
}}
The counties of [[Merioneth]] and [[Glamorgan]] are occasionally referred to with the "shire" suffix. The only traditional Welsh county that never takes "shire" in English is [[Isle of Anglesey|Anglesey]]; in Welsh it is called {{lang|cy|Sir Fôn}}.

===Non-county "shires"===
====England====
Historically, the suffix "-shire" could be a generalised term referring to a district. It did not acquire the strong association with [[county]] until later{{when|date=January 2025}}. Other than these, the term was used for several other districts. [[Bedlingtonshire]], [[Craikshire]], [[Norhamshire]] and [[Islandshire]] were [[exclave]]s of County Durham, and were [[Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844|incorporated into Northumberland or Yorkshire in 1844]]. The suffix was also used for many [[hundred (division)|hundred]]s, [[wapentake]]s and [[Liberty (division)|liberties]] such as:
{{columns-list|colwidth=10em|
* [[Allertonshire]]
* [[Blackburnshire]]
* [[Halfshire]]
* [[Howdenshire]]
* [[Leylandshire]]
* [[Powdershire]]
* [[Pydarshire]]
* [[Richmondshire]]
* [[Liberty of Ripon|Riponshire]]
* [[Salfordshire]]
* [[Triggshire]]
* [[Tynemouthshire]]
* [[West Derby (hundred)|West Derbyshire]]
* [[Wivelshire]]
}}
Also carrying the "shire" suffix were [[county corporate|counties corporate]] such as [[Hullshire]], and other districts such as [[Applebyshire]], [[Bamburghshire]], [[Carlisle, Cumbria|Carlisleshire]], [[Coldinghamshire]], [[Cravenshire]], [[Hallamshire]], [[Mashamshire]] and [[Yetholmshire]].
 
[[Richmondshire]] was, from 1974 to 2023, the name of a [[Districts of England|local government district]] of [[North Yorkshire]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Next steps for new unitary councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-new-unitary-councils-in-cumbria-north-yorkshire-and-somerset |website=GOV.UK |access-date=20 November 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/new-council-0|title=The new council|publisher=[[North Yorkshire County Council]]|accessdate=20 November 2024}}</ref>
====Scotland====
Non-county shires were very common in Scotland. [[Kinross-shire]] and [[Clackmannanshire]] are arguably{{by whom|date=January 2025}} survivals from such districts. Non-county "shires" in Scotland include [[Coldinghamshire]] and [[Yetholmshire]].

==="The Shires"===
Colloquially, the term "the Shires" has become used to refer to those counties, particularly of the southern [[Midlands]], which are still largely rural and which are stereotypically thought of as places where a more [[bucolic]] lifestyle is possible.<ref>[https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/shires Cambridge Dictionary definition]</ref>

==Shires in the United States==
===New York and New England===
Before the [[Province of New York]] was granted county subdivisions and a greater royal presence in 1683, the early ducal colony consisted of [[Yorkshire County, New York|York Shire]], as well as [[Albany County, New York|Albany]] and [[Ulster County, New York|Ulster]], after the three titles held by [[James II of England|Prince James]]: [[Duke of York]], [[Duke of Albany]], [[Earl of Ulster]]. While these were basically renamed Dutch core settlements, they were quickly converted to English purposes, while the Dutch remained within the colony, as opposed to later practice of the [[Acadian Expulsion]]. Further Anglo-Dutch synthesis occurred when Prince James enacted the [[Dominion of New England]] and later when [[William III of England]] took over through the [[Glorious Revolution]].

The word also survives in the name of the [[U.S. state|state]] of [[New Hampshire]], whose co-founder, [[John Mason (governor)|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 [https://exploretheshires.com/ 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 [[Virginia Colony]] by order of [[Charles I of England|Charles I]], King of England. They were renamed as [[County (United States)|counties]] 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=§ 15.2-3534. Optional provisions of consolidation agreement|url=https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title15.2/chapter35/section15.2-3534/|access-date=2021-10-05|website=law.lis.virginia.gov}}</ref>

== Shires in Australia ==
"Shire" is the most common word in [[Australia]] for rural [[local government in Australia|local government areas (LGAs)]]. [[New South Wales]], the [[Northern Territory]], [[Queensland]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], and [[Western Australia]], use the term "shire" for this unit; the territories of the [[Shire of Christmas Island|Christmas Island]] and the [[Shire of Cocos (Keeling) Islands|Cocos (Keeling) Islands]] are also shires. In contrast, [[South Australia]] uses [[district]] and [[region]] for its rural LGA units, while [[Tasmania]] uses [[municipality]]. Shires are generally functionally indistinguishable from [[town]]s, [[borough]]s, [[municipality|municipalities]], or [[city|cities]].

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)
* [[Yarra Ranges Shire|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")

== In fiction ==
[[The Shire]], homeland of the [[hobbit]]s in [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s works, where both ''[[The Hobbit]]'' and ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' begin and end, got its name from the English administrative land division described in this article.

==See also==
* [[Comarca]]
* [[Comarcas of Spain]]
** [[Comarques of Catalonia]]
* [[Counties of the United Kingdom]]
** [[Counties of England]]
** [[Historic counties of Wales]]
** [[Shires of Scotland]]
* [[Gau (territory)|Gau]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Wiktionary}}

{{Terms for types of administrative territorial entities}}

[[Category:English suffixes]]
[[Category:Place name element etymologies]]
[[Category:Types of administrative division]]