Shire 26995 225914864 2008-07-16T00:11:58Z Lavateraguy 1095935 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225914776 by [[Special:Contributions/Lavateraguy|Lavateraguy]] ([[User talk:Lavateraguy|talk]]) accidental duplicate {{otheruses}} A '''shire''' is an [[administrative division]] of [[United Kingdom|Great Britain]] and [[Australia]]. The first shires were created by the [[Anglo-Saxons]] in what is now central and southern [[England]]. Shires were controlled by a royal official known as a "shire [[Reeve (England)|reeve]]" or [[sheriff]]. Historically shires were sub-divided into [[hundred (country subdivision)|hundreds]] or [[hundred (country subdivision)#Other terms|wapentakes]] although other less common sub-divisions existed. In modern English usage shires are sub-divided into districts. Individually, or as a suffix in Scotland and the far northeast of England, the word is {{pronEng|ʃaɪə}} (to rhyme with "fire"). As a suffix in an English or Welsh place name it is pronounced {{IPA|/-ʃə/}} or sometimes {{IPA|/-ʃɪə/}}, a homophone of "sheer". == Shires in Great Britain == It can also be used in a narrower sense, referring only to ancient counties ending in "shire". These counties are typically (though not always) named after their [[county town]]. ===Shires in England=== Shires in England include [[Bedfordshire]], [[Berkshire]], [[Buckinghamshire]], [[Cambridgeshire]], [[Cheshire]], [[Derbyshire]], [[Gloucestershire]], [[Hampshire]], [[Herefordshire]], [[Hertfordshire]], [[Huntingdonshire]], [[Lancashire]], [[Lincolnshire]], [[Leicestershire]], [[Northamptonshire]], [[Nottinghamshire]], [[Oxfordshire]], [[Shropshire]], [[Staffordshire]], [[Warwickshire]], [[Wiltshire]], [[Worcestershire]], and [[Yorkshire]]. Of these, all but Huntingdonshire and Yorkshire are also administrative counties (but with different boundaries). Huntingdonshire is now administered as a district of Cambridgeshire, and Yorkshire is split between [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], [[North Yorkshire]], [[South Yorkshire]] and [[West Yorkshire]]. Other northern counties include [[Greater Manchester]], [[Lancashire]], [[Cumbria]] and [[County Durham]]. The counties of [[Devon]], [[Dorset]], [[Rutland]] and [[Somerset]] were occasionally referred to with the "shire" suffix. This usage is now considered archaic, although residents are known to refer to these counties as "the Shire". ===Shires in Wales=== Shires in Wales include [[Brecknockshire]] (or Breconshire), [[Caernarvonshire]], [[Cardiganshire]], [[Carmarthenshire]], [[Denbighshire]], [[Flintshire]], [[Monmouthshire]], [[Montgomeryshire]], [[Pembrokeshire]], and [[Radnorshire]]. In Wales, the counties of [[Merioneth]] and [[Glamorgan]] are occasionally referred to with the "shire" suffix. The only traditional Welsh county that never takes "shire" is [[Anglesey]]. ===Non-county shires=== The suffix –''shire'' was a generalised term referring to a district. It did not acquire the strong association with [[county]] until later, though the former [[Hexhamshire]] and [[Winchcombeshire]] were considered counties. The area of [[Richmondshire]] in [[North Yorkshire]] is today a [[Districts of England|local government district]]. The term shire thus predates the creation of England's counties, referring originally to a more local jurisdiction. Other than these, the term was used for several other districts. [[Bedlingtonshire]], [[Craikshire]], [[Norhamshire]] and [[Islandshire]] were [[exclave]]s of County Durham, which were incorporated into Northumberland or [[Yorkshire]] in [[1844]]. The suffix was also used for many [[hundred (division)|hundred]]s, [[wapentake]]s and liberties such as [[Allertonshire]], [[Blackburnshire]], [[Halfshire]], [[Howdenshire]], [[Leylandshire]], [[Powdershire]], [[Pydarshire]], [[Liberty of Ripon|Riponshire]], [[Salfordshire]], [[Triggshire]], [[Tynemouthshire]], [[West Derby (hundred)|West Derbyshire]] and [[Wivelshire]], [[county corporate|counties corporate]] such as [[Hullshire]], and other districts such as [[Applebyshire]], [[Bamburghshire]], [[Bunkleshire]], [[Carlisleshire]], [[Coldinghamshire]], [[Coxwoldshire]], [[Cravenshire]], [[Hallamshire]], [[Leekshire]] {{Fact|date=February 2007}}, [[Mashamshire]] and [[Yetholmshire]]. ===Shires in Scotland=== In Scotland the term ''shire county'' is unknown, and the use of ''shire'' to refer to sheriffdoms or counties was intermittent, dating largely from the 19th century. It may be seen as an [[anglification]] or an example of the power of [[analogy]]. The traditional names, insofar as this is a reasonable term to employ, omit the suffix -shire. Shires in Scotland include [[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]], and [[Wigtownshire]] In Scotland four counties have alternative names with the "shire" suffix: [[Angus]] (Forfarshire), [[East Lothian]] (Haddingtonshire), [[Midlothian]] (Edinburghshire) and [[West Lothian]] (Linlithgowshire). [[Sutherland]] is occasionally still referred to as Sutherlandshire, despite there being no town called Sutherland. Similarly, [[Argyllshire]], [[Buteshire]], [[Caithness-shire]] and [[Fifeshire]] are sometimes found. Also, Morayshire was previously called Elginshire. Non-county shires were very common in [[Scotland]]. [[Kinross-shire]] and [[Clackmannanshire]] are probably survivals from such districts. Non-county shires in Scotland include [[Bunkleshire]], [[Coldinghamshire]] and [[Yetholmshire]]. ==Shires in Australia== Shire is the most common word in [[Australia]] for rural [[Local Government Areas of Australia|Local Government Areas (LGA)]]. The states of [[New South Wales]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Queensland]] and [[Western Australia]] use Shire for this unit. 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, [[municipality|municipalities]], or [[city|cities]]. ===Urban 'City-Shires' in Sydney, NSW, Australia=== Three LGAs in outer metropolitan [[Sydney]] with populations exceeding that of Towns or Municipalities, but retain significant bushlands and/or semi-rural areas, have continued to use the title of 'Shire', possibly due to community demand or popularity, or for financial and socio-political gain. These three 'City-Shires' are: *[[Sutherland Shire]] (which is commonly referred to as '' 'The Shire' '') *[[Baulkham Hills Shire]] ('' 'The Garden Shire' '' or simply '' 'Hills Shire' '') *[[Hornsby Shire]] ('' 'The Bushland Shire' '') These three 'Shires' could be classified as 'Cities' (by population). ==Shires in the United States (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 counties only a few years later. They were: *[[Accomack County, Virginia|Accomack]] *[[Charles City Shire]] (now [[Charles City County, Virginia]]) *[[Charles River Shire]] (now [[York County, Virginia]]) *[[Elizabeth City Shire]] *[[Henrico County, Virginia|Henrico]] (now [[Henrico County, Virginia]]) *[[James City Shire]] (now [[James City County, Virginia]]) *[[Warwick River Shire]] *[[Warrosquyoake Shire]] (now [[Isle of Wight County, Virginia]]) Of these, five are considered still extant in essentially their same political form in [[Virginia]] as of 2006, although most boundaries have changed in the intervening centuries. == See also == *[[Counties of England]] *[[Counties of Scotland]] *[[Counties of Wales]] *[[Counties of the United Kingdom]] *[[Gau (country subdivision)|Gau]] *[[Scirii]] *[[Shire (Middle-earth)|The Shire]] in [[the Lord of the Rings]] {{Types of administrative country subdivision}} [[Category:Administrative divisions]] [[als:Shire]] [[ca:Comarca]] [[de:Shire (Verwaltungseinheit)]] [[es:Comarca]] [[fr:Comtés au Royaume-Uni]] [[it:Comarca]] [[ja:シャイア]] [[nl:gouw]]