Forgotten Shires

This isn't a page about real counties. It's a list of other smaller areas which were called shires - i.e. the old hundreds and wapentakes, mostly in the north and west of England, which have nearly all been swept away by administrative reforms within the last 200 years.

Lancashire

Blackburnshire: Old name for the hundred or wapentake of Blackburn in the Northern Division of Lancashire.
Leylandshire: Old name for the hundred or wapentake of Leyland in the Northern Division of Lancashire.
West Derbyshire: Old name for the hundred or wapentake of West Derby in the Southern Division of Lancashire. More or less equivalent to the metropolitan area of Merseyside, not including the Wirral.
Salfordshire: Old name for the hundred or wapentake of Salford in the Southern Division of Lancashire. More or less equivalent to the metropolitan area of Greater Manchester, not including Stockport. Manchestre on the south side of Irwel River stondith in Salfordshire, and is the fairest, best buildid, quikkest, and most populus tounne of al Lancastreshire [John Leland, 1503/5-1552]
(Amounderness): Hundred or wapentake in the Northern Division of Lancashire.
(Lonsdale): Hundred or wapentake in the Northern Division of Lancashire. Includes the Furness peninsula in modern Cumbria.

Cornwall / Kernow

Wivelshire: One of the original six kevrangow of Cornwall. Later divided into East and West hundreds. East Wivelshire (Est) was again divided into three divisions: East North Division, East Middle Division and East South Division.
Triggshire: One of the kevrangow of Cornwall. 'Trigg' first appears as a place-name in the 9th century and King Alfred (d. 901) mentions it in his will - "Strætneat (Stratton) in triconscire (Triggshire)". Triggshire was the personal property of the Saxon kings of Wessex. The land district called Trigg Hundred presently consists of 12 parishes and is located in northeast Cornwall. It is one of nine Hundreds in the county. However, the district originally encompassed the whole area from the Devon County border to the Camel estuary north of the Bodmin Moors. The area was subdivided, probably sometime in the 12th century, into three hundreds: Trigg, Lesnewth and Stratton. Trigg Hundred became just the westerly section of the old district. The Old English suffix 'scir', meaning 'district', 'shire', was added to the names in records up to the 15th century, but was generally dropped afterwards. However, apparently the Trigg Hundred place-name descended from an old tribal name 'tricurium' meaning 'those with three armies' or 'district or tribe supplying three armies','tri-' meaning 'three' and '-cur-' from the Old Cornish 'cor' meaning 'clan, tribe, family, army'. [home.sprynet.com/~johnmorr/Trigg.htm]
Powdershire: Medieval name for Powder Hundred, one of the original kevrangow of Cornwall.
Pydershire: Medieval name for Pyder Hundred, one of the original kevrangow of Cornwall.
(Penwith): One of the original kevrangow of Cornwall. Later divided into two hundreds: east and west.
(Kerrier): One of the original kevrangow of Cornwall. Later divided into two hundreds: east and west.

Northumberland and County Durham

Islandshire: Part of County Durham locally situate in Northumberland. Includes the Farne Islands and the opposite coast.
Norhamshire: Part of County Durham locally situate in Northumberland. Includes a small area just south of Berwick.
Bedlingtonshire: Part of County Durham locally situate in Northumberland. Small coastal area just north of Newcastle.
Hexhamshire: Franchise in Northern England. Includes south western corner of Northumberland and western part of County Durham.
Bamburghshire: Old Anglian shire, now in Northumberland.

Cumberland and Westmorland

Applebyshire: The area around Appleby. Perhaps equivalent to Westmorland, or perhaps just the East and West wards of Westmorland.
Carlisleshire: The area around Carlisle. Perhaps equivalent to Cumberland, or perhaps just Cumberland ward within the county of Cumberland.

Yorkshire

Hallamshire: Manor around Hallam in West Riding of Yorkshire. Includes most of Sheffield.
Allertonshire: Wapentake in the North Riding of Yorkshire. Includes Northallerton.
Richmondshire: Modern district in county of North Yorkshire. Includes Richmond.
Howdenshire: Wapentake in the East Riding of Yorkshire. On the north shore of the Humber.
Hullshire: Wapentake in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Around Kingston upon Hull.
Coxwoldshire: Medieval name given to the area around Coxwold in North Yorkshire.
Cravenshire: Alternative name for the Craven district in the West Riding of Yorkshire.

Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire

Halfshire: Hundred in Worcestershire around Kidderminster and Redditch.
Winchcombeshire: Old West Saxon shire around Winchcombe, now incorporated into Gloucestershire, but also included parts of Worcestershire.
Foghamshire: A street in Chippenham. Apparently "area of fog grass".

Scottish Borders

Yetholmshire: Old Anglian shire, now in the Scottish Borders.
Bunkleshire: Old Anglian shire, now in the Scottish Borders.
Coldinghamshire: Old Anglian shire, now in the Scottish Borders.

More recent shires

Banburyshire: The economic hinterland of Banbury. Obviously vaguely defined, but includes northern parts of Oxfordshire and southern parts of Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. The term has been used for over 150 years ... not only to describe the area geo-politically, but also as a [tourist] region ... it is suitably vague from a geographic point of view to allow inclusion of all sort of (music) events and activities in the Banbury area. Banbury is a "border" town, with five counties within 15 miles, so "Banburyshire" can be thought of as crossing boundaries. [Julian Procter, Clockwork Data]
Chiantishire: Tuscany.

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