Rediscover the places that have shaped Britain and Ireland for centuries. By the Historic Counties Institute.
Britain & Ireland
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For centuries, the counties of Britain and Ireland have shaped where people belong.
They have been home to generations, carried through maps, records, traditions, sport, language and memory. Some grew from kingdoms older still.
These places are not simply history. They remain the enduring geography of Britain and Ireland.
Rediscover yours at RealCounties.com.
Help us research, map and explain these enduring places for everyone: RealCounties.com/support
ALT A map showing the 118 historic, geographic counties of Britain and Ireland - from RealCounties.com
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How does England & Wales’s good or very good health look when measured by geographic county?
Our latest graphic uses Census 2021 data, aggregated
to the 52 geographic counties - with Berkshire the highest at 86.6%.
More Census data by geographic county at
RealCounties.com.
ALT England and Wales Census 2021: good or very good health - from RealCounties.com
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🗺️ COUNTY QUIZ 🗺️
Can you identify the highlighted county from its outline alone?
No place names, no clues - just the county boundary.
Put your answer in the comments. 👇
ALT Map of the historic counties of Britain and Ireland - from RealCounties.com
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When even the Duchy of Lancaster gets Lancashire wrong, it shows just how deeply Britain’s confusion between counties and administrative areas now runs.
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The answer is - MIDDLESEX!!
Contrary to what many people were led to believe, this county was *not* abolished in 1965.
The 76 year old 'Middlesex County Council' (which didn't even cover all of Middlesex) was abolished in 1965, not the 1,000+ year old county!
🗺️ COUNTY QUIZ 🗺️
Can you identify the highlighted county from its outline alone?
No place names, no clues - just the county boundary.
Put your answer in the comments. 👇
ALT Map of the historic counties of Britain and Ireland - from RealCounties.com
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The answer is EAST LOTHIAN!
As with many counties, there are different expressions of the name of this county. They are:
East Lothian
County of Haddington
Haddingtonshire
Look out for the next quiz!
🗺️ COUNTY QUIZ 🗺️
Can you identify the highlighted county from its outline alone?
No place names, no clues - just the county boundary.
Put your answer in the comments. 👇
ALT Map of the historic counties of Britain and Ireland - from RealCounties.com
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More than seventy years before Domesday Book, Hertfordshire was already a shire.
Built around Hertford and its river crossing, it was recorded by around 1011.
From the Lea valley and the old Great North Road to the Chiltern rise in the west, its towns and routes have long formed a distinctive landscape on London’s northern approaches:
Hertfordshire - the County of Hertford.
ALT Map of Hertfordshire, the County of Hertford - from RealCounties.com
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🗺️ COUNTY QUIZ 🗺️
Can you identify the highlighted county from its outline alone?
No place names, no clues - just the county boundary.
Put your answer in the comments. 👇
ALT Map of the 118 historic counties of Britain and Ireland - from RealCounties.com
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Same name. Very different geography.
Less than half of the @MorayCouncil area is actually in the County of Moray - much of the rest lies in Banffshire, with a small part in Aberdeenshire.
See the difference in just 12 seconds. 🗺️
RealCounties.com
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From today's Scottish Daily Express: scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/n…
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Before Morayshire became a county, there was the ancient Kingdom of Moray.
By the 12th century, a sheriffdom had taken shape, with Elgin emerging as the county town.
From the fertile Laich around Elgin and Forres to the rivers and mountains rising south of the Moray Firth, one enduring county developed:
Morayshire - Moireibh - the County of Moray.
ALT Map of Morayshire / the County of Moray - from RealCounties.com
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Real Counties retweeted
Around the turn of the 11th century, Derbyshire emerged as a shire.
By about 1048, it was already recorded as Derbyscir - centuries before the landscapes that later made the county famous were transformed by industry.
From the high moors and limestone dales of the Peak, down the Derwent valley to Derby and the Trent lowlands, these contrasting landscapes form one enduring county:
Derbyshire - the County of Derby.
ALT Map of Derbyshire, the County of Derby - from RealCounties.com
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How does Scotland’s number of owner-occupied households look when measured by geographic county?
Our latest graphic uses Census 2022 data, aggregated to the 34 geographic counties - with Kinross-shire the highest at 81.6%.
More Census data by geographic county at RealCounties.com.
ALT Census 2022 Scotland: graphic showing quintiles of owner-occupied households - from RealCounties.com
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One marathon in each of England's historic counties!
Well done from all at RealCounties.com - a brilliant achievement!
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Real Counties retweeted
Lancashire’s six hundreds - Lonsdale, Amounderness, Blackburn, Leyland, Salford and West Derby - preserve a territorial geography with roots older than Lancashire itself.
When Domesday Book was compiled in 1086, Lancashire had not yet emerged as a county, but several of these divisions already existed, while Amounderness and Lonsdale were established territorial names in the north.
As Lancashire took shape in the 12th century, these older divisions were consolidated into its familiar six hundreds.
A fascinating reminder that the county was built from an even older landscape of local territories.
ALT Map of the Lancashire Hundreds - from RealCounties.com
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🗺️ COUNTY QUIZ 🗺️
Can you identify the highlighted county from its outline alone?
No place names, no clues - just the county boundary.
Put your answer in the comments. 👇
ALT Map of the historic counties of Britain and Ireland - from RealCounties.com
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How does England & Wales’s number of detached homes look when measured by geographic county?
Our latest graphic uses Census 2021 data, aggregated to the 52 geographic counties - with Radnorshire / Sir Faesyfed the highest at 52.9%.
More Census data by geographic county at RealCounties.com.
ALT Census 2021 - England and Wales, data aggregated by geographic county - from RealCounties.com
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