Map guide
What the RealCounties Map Shows
A simple guide to historic counties, council areas, lieutenancy areas and other boundaries — and why they are not the same thing.
The RealCounties Map helps you see the historic counties of Britain and Ireland clearly, and compare them with other boundaries.
Historic counties are the long-standing counties of Britain and Ireland: places such as Yorkshire, Surrey, Fife, Pembrokeshire, Antrim, Cork, Lanarkshire, Middlesex and many more.
They are not council areas. They are not lieutenancy areas. They are not parliamentary constituencies.
Those are different boundaries, created for different purposes. This map lets you compare them.
Boundary types
Four boundaries. Four different purposes.
The same town or village can be described by several public boundary systems. The important question is which boundary is being discussed.
County geography
Historic counties
Long-standing geographical counties used for identity, history, mapping, culture and public understanding.
Administration
Council areas
Administrative areas used for local government. They can change and do not always match historic county boundaries.
Lieutenancy
Lieutenancy areas
Areas used for lord-lieutenants. They are sometimes called ceremonial counties in England (although that description appears nowhere in law), but they are not the same as historic counties.
Elections
Constituencies
Electoral areas used for representation. They are designed around elections and population, not county identity.
Default view
The main boundary shown: historic counties
The default view shows the historic counties.
These are the long-established county areas used for local identity, geography, history, mapping, record-keeping and public culture.
In many places, they are still very widely understood. In others, they have been obscured by later administrative changes.
The map helps make them visible again.
Comparison layers
What you can compare them with
The map also lets you switch on other boundaries so you can see how they relate to the historic counties.
Council areas
Council areas are administrative areas used for local government.
They have been reorganised many times. Some follow historic county lines closely. Others do not.
A council area using a county name is not always the same thing as the historic county of that name.
Lieutenancy areas
Lieutenancy areas are used for the appointment of lord-lieutenants.
They are sometimes called ceremonial counties in England (although that description appears nowhere in law), but they are not the same as historic counties.
In some places, the difference is small. In others, it is substantial.
Parliamentary constituencies
Parliamentary constituencies are electoral areas used for elections.
They are designed around representation and population, not historic county identity.
The map lets users see how Westminster, Scottish Parliament and Senedd constituencies overlap the historic counties.
Other boundary views
The map also includes alternative county boundary views and other public geographies where useful.
These help users understand how different official, administrative and cultural geographies relate to one another.
The source of confusion
Why the boundaries differ
Many people were taught that historic counties were changed or abolished when local government was reorganised.
That is the source of much confusion.
In reality, local government areas changed. County councils changed. Administrative areas changed.
The historic counties themselves were not simply wiped from the map.
The problem is that later administrative boundaries were often labelled as counties, which led people to confuse council geography with county geography.
The RealCounties Map separates these layers so they can be seen side by side.
Using the map
How to use the map
Start with a place, then compare the boundary systems used there.
- Search for a place or postcode
- Click a historic county to see its profile
- Compare historic counties with council areas
- Compare historic counties with lieutenancy areas
- Compare historic counties with parliamentary constituencies
- See where boundaries align, differ or overlap
- Share a map view with others
The map is especially useful for places where public understanding has become confused, such as Middlesex, Rutland, Yorkshire, Lancashire, County Durham, Surrey, Kent, Essex, London, the Scottish counties and many border areas.
Examples
Examples of what the map helps explain
These examples show why similar names and overlapping boundaries need to be read carefully.
Surrey and London
Wimbledon
Wimbledon can be understood as being in London for many public purposes, while also lying in the county of Surrey.
County council change
Middlesex
Middlesex remains a historic county, even though its county council was abolished and much of its area is now within Greater London for administrative purposes.
Cross-boundary council area
Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees can be within a council area that crosses historic county boundaries, while still being understood through the historic geography of County Durham and Yorkshire.
Same name, different areas
Moray
Moray can mean a council area, a lieutenancy area, or the historic county — three different things using the same name.
Public understanding
Why this matters
Counties are part of how people understand place.
They appear in history, sport, flags, identity, local pride, archives, records, maps, addresses, signs and everyday speech.
When different kinds of boundary are confused, people lose clarity about where they are and what those places mean.
The RealCounties Map exists to restore that clarity.
Evidence-based method
Our approach
The Historic Counties Institute works from evidence: historic maps, official records, legislation, public datasets, gazetteers and long-established county geography.
The aim is not to replace councils, lieutenancies or parliamentary constituencies.
The aim is to show each boundary for what it is.
Historic counties, council areas, lieutenancy areas and constituencies all have different purposes.
The map helps people see the difference.
Explore the map
Explore the map
Search for your town, village or postcode and see which historic county it lies in.
Then compare it with the council area, lieutenancy area and parliamentary boundaries used there today.