About
About the Historic Counties Institute
The historic counties are not council areas, lieutenancy areas or postcodes. They are county geography in their own right.
The Historic Counties Institute exists because those distinctions are often blurred in public language, maps, records and official use.
A public reference body
Clear geography, clearly explained.
Much of the confusion begins when one boundary is mistaken for another. The Institute explains the difference between counties, councils, lieutenancy areas, postcodes and other public boundaries.
Clear county geography
The historic counties are the long-standing counties of Britain and Ireland. They are part of local identity, historical record, landscape, sport, literature, genealogy and everyday speech.
They are different from council areas, lieutenancy areas, postcodes, statistical areas and other administrative boundaries.
The aim is simple: places should be described accurately. A council area should not be mistaken for a county, and a county should not disappear because an administrative boundary has changed.
What we do
Making the county distinction clear
Most county confusion disappears once the right question is asked: are we talking about a county, a council area, a lieutenancy area, a postcode area or something else?
Find
Which county?
Find the historic county to which a town, village or locality belongs.
Understand
Different boundaries
See how county boundaries differ from council areas, lieutenancy areas and other official boundaries.
Compare
Map layers
Compare county boundaries with council and lieutenancy boundaries where confusion commonly arises.
Use
Accurate names
Use county names accurately in journalism, education, heritage, research and public life.
Why historic counties matter
County identity remains visible throughout everyday life: in sport, flags, records, genealogy, local history, literature, place names and ordinary conversation.
Councils and lieutenancy areas have their own roles. Recognising that does not require treating them as counties.
What we are not
We are not anti-council. Local councils provide essential services and have an important role in public life.
The point is not to replace councils, change council services or deny the importance of administrative areas.
The point is that a council area, a lieutenancy area, a postcode area, a statistical area and a historic county are not the same thing. Each should be named for what it is.
How the work is organised
Three parts of the same project
The same aim runs through everything we do: making it easier to identify, understand and use the historic counties accurately.
Institute
The Historic Counties Institute
We work for the accurate recognition and use of the historic counties.
We research, publish, campaign and build practical tools that help keep the county distinction clear.
Public platform
RealCounties.com
RealCounties.com brings together the explanation, evidence and reference material needed to understand the counties properly.
It shows where confusion comes from and how official sources, maps and records resolve it.
Interactive reference
The Real Counties Map
The map allows places, counties, council areas and lieutenancy areas to be viewed side by side.
It makes boundary differences visible immediately.
Map development
The map is continually improving.
Join the Monthly County Progress Report for updates on new features, datasets, research and map development.
Our approach
Calm, factual and evidence-led
We prefer evidence to assertion. Where confusion exists, we look at legislation, official statements, maps, records and long-established usage, then follow the evidence wherever it leads.
Support the work
Support RealCounties
Help expand the map, publish new evidence and keep the historic counties visible in public life.