‘MODERN’ ENGLISH REGIONS OR AREA STRUCTURE

On 1 April 1974 the Local Government Act 1972 entered pressure. This abolished the existing city government structure in England as well as Wales (other than in Greater London), replacing it with a new entirely two-tier system. It abolished the formerly existing management regions and region boroughs (however not the previous non-administrative ‘areas’) and also created a new set of 46 ‘areas’ in England, 6 which were urbane and 40 which were non-metropolitan.

Some of the areas established by the Act were completely new, such as Avon, Cleveland, Cumbria, Hereford and also Worcester, as well as Humberside, in addition to the new metropolitan counties of Greater Manchester, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, West Midlands, and West Yorkshire. The regions of Cumberland, Herefordshire, Rutland, Westmorland and Worcestershire disappeared from the administrative map, as did the region boroughs.

2007 AD.

List of English Counties. The Origins of Names of English Counties.

Avon, Cleveland and Humberside

Born 1974, passed away 1990 – mourned by few.

Birmingham

Anglo-Saxon derivative Beorma Ingas Ham– pork of the people of Beorma. Second biggest city in England after London. City of Birmingham area has a population of 1,006,500 (2006 quote.).

Cambridgeshire.

Initially Old English Grentebrigescire, of the river Granta. Huge areas of the region are exceptionally low-lying and Holme Fen is notable for being the UK’s least expensive physical factor at 2.75 m (9 ft) listed below sea degree.

Cheshire (The County of Chester).

There were web links in between Cheshire and also south Lancashire before 1000 AD, when Wulfric Spot held lands in both regions. Wulfric’s estates continued to be organized with each other after his fatality, when they were entrusted to his bro Ælfhelm, and also undoubtedly there still seems to have actually been some sort of connexion in 1086 AD, when southern Lancashire was checked along with Cheshire by the Domesday commissioners.

Cornwall.

The ‘surfing capital’ of England. Part of Saxon Wessex since 825 AD. Hilly as well as gorgeous region with towns such as Newquay including much life and also tourist.

Cumbria/ Cumberland.

The ‘Umberland’ implies ‘Angles living north of the River Humber’. See Northumbria listed below. Currently joined with Westmorland, as well as components of Lancashire as well as Yorkshire, as Cumbria. The new management county inclusives the Lake District, an area of sturdy appeal, good hill strolling, great deals of rain and also soggy sheep.

Derbyshire.

Simply beautiful. Derbyshire is a mixture of a country economic situation in the west, with a previous coal mining economic climate in the north east (Bolsover area), the Erewash Valley around Ilkeston as well as in the south around Swadlincote. The region of Derbyshire provides lots of tourist attractions for both tourists as well as local people. The region uses the magnificent Peak District scenery such as Mam Tor, Kinder Scout, and also various other extra cosmopolitan tourist attractions like Bakewell, Buxton, and also Derby. A number of kings of Mercia are buried in the Repton area. Repton church was the tomb of Mercian Kings. It dates from around 750 AD as well as includes the tombs of King Ethelbald of Mercia (757 AD), King Wiglaf in 840 AD and his grandson St Wystan that was completely murdered.

Devon.

Defenascire in Old English. Part of Anglo-Saxon Wessex because the 8th Century. Exeter is its major community. A substantial maritime tradition is gotten in touch with Devon. The Devon fyrd was just one of Alfred the Greats fiercest military units when combating the invading Vikings.

Dorset.

Often ‘Dorsetshire’, a mostly country county on the south coastline of England between Hampshire and also Devon. It has numerous hotels on the shore and a naval base at Portland beside the amazing Chesil Beach, a number of miles of shingle bank. A number of the towns have names that equal anything, for instance, Puddletown, Langton Herring as well as both of Melcombe Bingham as well as Bingham’s Melcombe.

Durham.

The name “Durham” originates from the Old English “dun”, suggesting hill, as well as the Old Norse “holmer”, which means island. The initial Nordic Dun Holm was transformed to Duresme by the Normans. Today city of Durham could plainly be traced back to 995 AD, when a group of monks from Lindisfarne chose the tactical high peninsula as a place to clear up with the body of the fantastic English Saint Cuthbert, from whom several modern-day English last names have their stem root origin.

Gloucestershire.

Established by the Saxons in 577AD. The Hwiccas who inhabited the area were a West Saxon people. A country county with only Gloucester and also Cheltenham of any size also today.

Hampshire.

Called by the Saxons that wanted it to be called Southamptonshire, however that did not stick. A semi-rural area on the south shore of England, it also contains the major ports of Southampton and also Portsmouth. Unusually for a seaside county, most of the better parts are inland, especially the New Forest. Shortened to ‘Hants’ from the Old English ‘Hantescire’.

Hereforshire.

The area of Herefordshire begins with a county during Aethelstan (895– 939 AD). The area, which is now Herefordshire, was inhabited by a Saxon people the Hecanas, as long earlier as the 7th Century AD, who congregated chiefly in the abundant area regarding Hereford and also in the mining areas round Ross-on-Wye.

Hertfordshire.

The name Hertford is stemmed from the Anglo-Saxon heort ford, suggesting deer going across (of a watercourse.) Abbreviated to ‘Herts.’ One of the ‘Home Counties’ – in this instance to the north of London.

Residence Counties.

A collective name for the counties promptly surrounding London. Currently these are (clockwise from the north) Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Surrey and Buckinghamshire.

Kent.

An excellent farming area, for this reason its name ‘The Garden of England’, with fruit orchards and jump ranches. It is likewise the local region to France, however then somewhere has to be!

Lancashire.

An area in north west England. Produced in the late 1100s AD. It has become incraesingly urbanised, however has several of the most superb secenary and also shore line in all England.

Leicestershire.

This is a landlocked county in main England. It takes its name from the populous City of Leicester, typically its management centre, although the City of Leicester is a unitary authority.

Lincolnshire.

Lindsey is the name of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom that lay between the Humber as well as the Wash. A mainly farming and flat region on the eastern shore.

London.

The largest City in England. Funding of the United Kingdom. Since the 2001 Census, the Greater London Urban Area had a populace of 8,278,251.

Metropolitan Counties.

They show up on modern-day maps, so for information they are: Merseyside, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, Tyne as well as Wear, West Midlands and West Yorkshire.

Middlesex (Middle Saxons).

Abbreviated to Middx., it utilized to be among the home counties yet not exists as a separate administrative entity. It does, however, continue to field a region cricket team. (The ‘sex’ in Essex, Sussex, Wessex as well as Middlesex stands for ‘Saxons’, so these are East Saxons, South Saxons, West Saxons and Middle Saxons specifically.

Norfolk (North Folk).

Sometimes stated in the books, a greatly country county with a practically unspoilt shore. It includes the famous Broads, swamped peat excavatings now made use of by wildlife as well as for recreation boating, an anxious combination. PG Wodehouse stayed in Hunstanton numerous times as well as the community currently has actually a roadway called after him (close to the golf course).

Northamptonshire.

After the Romans left, the location came to be part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, as well as Northampton operated as a management centre. In 1460, during the Wars of the Roses, the Battle of Northampton took location and also King Henry VI was recorded. During the English Civil War Northamptonshire strongly supported the Parliamentarian cause and the Royalist pressures suffered a squashing defeat at the Battle of Naseby in 1645 in the north of the area.

Northumbria.

Among the original 7 Kingdoms of the English. Indicating ‘Angles Living North of the River Humber’. Once part of Northumbria at its top is currently divided by modern administrative boundaries, the land.

  • North East England includes Anglian Bernicia.
  • Yorkshire and also the Humber consists of Danish Deira.
  • North West England consists of Cumbria, though Cumbria was even more of a Northumbrian swarm with its own customer kings for a lot of its history in the Early Medieval era.
  • Scottish Borders, West Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian as well as East Lothian cover the extreme north.
  • Lothian was granted to Kenneth, King of Scots in 973 AD by Edgar ‘The Pacific’, King of England. That cession was never law.

Rutland/ Rutlandshire (Old English Roteland).

Once England’s tiniest county it was brought within Leicestershire in one of the periodic shake-ups that Governments thus much. Lately it re-gained its ‘self-reliance’ as well as is once more a complete region in every sense.

Shropshire.

Salop is an old acronym for Shropshire, as soon as made use of on envelopes or telegrams, and also originates from the Anglo-French ‘Salopesberia’. It has actually now been changed by the monotonous ‘Shrops’ although Shropshire residents are still ‘Salopians’. Shropshire is generally rural, however saw the beginnings of the English commercial transformation in position such as Coalbrookdale as well as Ironbridge.

Staffordshire.

Created the decade after the year 913 AD; that being the day at which Stafford – the critical military fording-point for an army to cross the Trent – ended up being a protected fortified stronghold & the new resources of Mercia under Queen Æthelflæd.Landlocked Staffordshire, bang in the center of England. Discover the incredible countryside in Staffordshire – the Peak District, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire Moorlands, the National Forest.

Somerset.

The initial recognized use the Old English name Somersæte remained in 845 AD, after the area fell to the Saxons. A mostly country area in the west coast of England with a largely north-facing coastline onto the Bristol Channel. Site visitors ought to keep in mind the regional accent where the’s’ noise practically becomes a ‘z’ so Somerset ends up being ‘Zummerzet’. Be cautious ‘scrumpy’ cider, especially if still and cloudy – it has the alcohol web content of wine and ‘stingeth like a zerpent’.

Suffolk (Suth or South Folk).

Ipswich, the region community is house to The Ipswich Transport Museum which boasts the largest collection of transport items in Britain committed to simply one town. Near the centre of Ipswich you will find ‘Christchurch Mansion’ an impressive 16th century Manor home set in a historic 100 acre park, which initially opened as a cost-free gallery in 1896. Suffolk’s other main communities consist of Felixstowe, a very seaside resort, Lowestoft, a preferred vacation location and also the most easterly community in England and also Newmarket, popular for its Race Meetings.

Sussex (South Saxons).

From the Old English Suth Seax. Developed by the South Saxon warlord Ælle and also his 3 children, Cymen as well as Wlencing and Cissa. A mostly country region on the south shore with light industry and also Gatwick Airport. The holiday hotels of Brighton– Old English Beorhthelmes tūn (Beorhthelm’s farmstead), and Bognor Regis are past their prime and also Eastbourne now has one of the biggest populaces of the elderly in the nation. That claimed, Brighton has one of the very first municipally authorized naturist beaches in England and also a new Marina; by contrast, the Victorian Voulkes coastline train still runs. Inland are numerous race track, including Goodwood, and some beautiful but mild countryside. Newhaven is a cross-channel ferry port.

Surrey.

Surrey is from the Old English Suth Reg. South Region– or southerly military region (against the Vikings) describing its susceptible setting on the south financial institution of the river Thames. In 675 AD it is kept in mind as Sudergeona in Old English. Like Sussex it among the last Saxon Pagan strongholds to convert to Christianity.

Warwickshire.

The 2nd ‘W’ is not pronounced. Abbreviated to ‘Warks’.

Wessex (West Saxons).

Not an area yet a region, about covering Cornwall, Somerset, Devon as well as Dorset.

Worcestershire.

Pronounced “Woo-ster-sher” not “War-sester-shire” as well as abbreviated to ‘Worcs’. Worcestershire is a rather country region. The Malvern Hills, which run from the south of the region right into Herefordshire, are comprised mainly of volcanic igneous rock as well as metamorphic rock, some of which day from before 1200 million years back.

Yorkshire.

A huge area by UK criteria, consisting of industrial areas, huge cities, seaside hotels and also open moorland. It has actually been the topic of many limit adjustments. York (Jorvik– or ‘community of the Vikings’,) is the main city.

Where do English counties originate from? The spread of the Ethnic English individuals on the British Isles.

Notes:

  1. Over the following centuries the spread expanded.
  2. New evidence has revealed that Anglo-Saxons colonized the Orkney Islands prior to Vikings arrived.
  3. The location at the bottom of what some phone call ‘Wales’ (Monmouthshire to Pembrokeshire) has so many English who have never ever spoke Welsh that it is called ‘Little England’.
  4. The Lowlands of just what is currently called Scotland are inhabited mostly by Anglo-Saxon peoples.
  5. Edinburgh is from the Old English Edwin’s Burgh. A Saxon (most likely Northumbrian) warlord.