Historic counties of England

Bedfordshire

County of Bedford

A shire at England’s heart, with deep Anglo-Saxon roots.

Berkshire

Royal Berkshire

A royal county of hills, kings, and ancient roots.

Buckinghamshire

County of Buckingham

A frontier shire, born in the struggle with the Danes.

Cambridgeshire

County of Cambridge

County of scholars & Saxons, with learning at its heart.

Cheshire

County of Chester

Over a thousand years of history in its name.

Cornwall

Kernow

A Celtic land with a spirit all its own.

Cumberland

A border county of mountains and warriors.

Derbyshire

County of Derby

A county forged where Saxon and Dane once met.

Devon

Devonshire

A Celtic shoreland turned shire of England.

Dorset

Dorsetshire

A county of chalk downs, ancient hillforts, coast.

Durham

Church, castle and borderland wrapped together.

Essex

From Saxon kingdoms: fields, forests, Roman towns.

Gloucestershire

County of Gloucester

County of abbeys, Cotswolds and old market towns.

Hampshire

County of Southampton

Chalk downs, great harbours and the Solent.

Herefordshire

County of Hereford

A Marcher county where Welsh hills meet English fields.

Hertfordshire

County of Hertford

On the edge of metropolis: market town and manor country.

Huntingdonshire

County of Huntingdon

A compact county of rivers, fen and market towns. ‍

Kent

Gateway shire: Kingdom, ports, cathedral.

Lancashire

County of Lancaster

Born Middle Ages: industrial seeds, ducal pride.

Leicestershire

County of Leicester

Midland county: Roman roads meet medieval markets.

Lincolnshire

County of Lincoln

Vast eastern county: fens, fields & cathedral spires.

Middlesex

Rivers and heart of England’s early Saxon settlement.

Norfolk

County of flatlands, ports, proud East Anglian roots.

Northamptonshire

County of Northampton

A Midland county at the heart of England’s crossroads.

Northumberland

A borderland of kings, saints and warriors.

Nottinghamshire

County of Nottingham

A county of forest, folklore and medieval towns.

Oxfordshire

County of Oxford

A shire of scholars, rivers and rolling countryside.

Rutland

A little county with a long, proud independence.

Shropshire

County of Salop

A border county of hills, castles and strongholds.

Somerset

Somersetshire

A county of levels, legends and abbeys.

Staffordshire

County of Stafford

Mercian shire: castles, coalfields and industry.

Suffolk

A county of saints, ports and fertile fields.

Surrey

A small shire with royal and Saxon roots.

Sussex

A county of downs, coast and Saxon kings.

Warwickshire

County of Warwick

Midland shire: castles, cloth & Shakespeare’s fields.

Westmorland

A northern county of fells, lakes and valleys.

Wiltshire

County of Wilton

England’s oldest stones meet Saxon shires.

Worcestershire

County of Worcester

A Severn valley shire of spires, hops and hills.

Yorkshire

County of York

A county of ridings, abbeys and Norse echoes.