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Administrative Counties Of England




They were created by the Local Government Act 1888 and abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 . They were replaced by the Metropolitan And Non-metropolitan Counties Of England which are often referred to, somewhat incorrectly, as administrative counties.


HISTORY


The administrative counties didn't exist prior to 1888 , see Traditional Counties Of England for the history of the English counties before then.


Introduction of county councils

See Also: Local Government Act 1888


In 1888 the government, led by the Tory Prime Minister Lord Salisbury established County Council s for all of England And Wales , covering areas known as Administrative Counties . Excluded from administrative counties were the County Borough s, which were what today are known as Unitary Authorities .

Cambridgeshire , Lincolnshire , Northamptonshire , Suffolk , Sussex , and Yorkshire were split up for administrative purposes, following historical divisions used by the Courts of Quarter Sessions .

Additionally there was a County Of London which covered the area today known as Inner London . The Isle Of Wight was originally included under the administrative county of Hampshire but obtained its own county council in 1890 .

In 1894 a uniform two-tier system was established, with subdivisions of the administrative counties called Urban District s, Rural District s and Municipal Borough s. The structure was complete once the County of London was divided into Metropolitan Borough s in 1899 .

Some exclaves had been left untouched by the 1844 Act, but in 1894 County Councils were given the power to adjust county boundaries, and most anomalies were removed in the next few years. For example the Measham area of Derbyshire was placed under the control of Leicestershire County Council in 1897 .


Map 1890-1965

This map follows the usual practice of not showing County Borough s. Instead, they were included in their 'host' county. When a county borough expanded into territory of a county that wasn't the one it came from, maps often showed this as an increase in size of the county the county borough was associated with. So, for example, Bristol south of the River Avon would be shown as part of Gloucestershire rather than Somerset .

This system was the basis of the Ceremonial Counties used for Lieutenancy - except that Cambridgeshire, Hampshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Suffolk and Sussex were not split for Lieutenancy. (Yorkshire, however, was).


Encroachment

As Urbanisation increased, and Suburbs were built on a scale not seen before, the urban areas surrounding various towns and cities started to cross traditional county borders. Since Borough s, Urban District s, and Parishes could not cross administrative county boundaries, the administrative county borders were adjusted.

Examples of these include:



Greater London

See Also: London Government Act 1963



Throughout the next century, debates took place about what should be done about local government in respect of the increasing urbanisation of the country. Proposals to expand or change county boroughs or to create larger urban counties were discussed, but nothing happened until 1963 , when legislation was passed to come into effect in 1965 .

The County of London was expanded and renamed Greater London , taking three of the county boroughs, more of Surrey and Kent , parts of Essex and Hertfordshire and consuming nearly all of Middlesex - the remaining parts being ceded to Surrey and Hertfordshire. Some other changes took place, such as the Soke Of Peterborough and Huntingdonshire being merged into Huntingdon And Peterborough , and the merger of the original Cambridgeshire county council and the Isle Of Ely county council.


Map 1965-1974


''The map below is shown with the County Borough s immediately prior to 1974 .''





Administrative counties of England from 1965 to 1974



  1. Northumberland
  2. Durham
  3. Westmorland
  4. Cumberland
  5. Lancashire
  6. West Riding Of Yorkshire
  7. North Riding Of Yorkshire
  8. East Riding Of Yorkshire
  9. Lindsey
  10. Holland
  11. Kesteven
  12. Nottinghamshire
  13. Derbyshire
  14. Cheshire
  15. Salop (Shropshire)
  16. Staffordshire
  17. Warwickshire
  18. Leicestershire
  19. Rutland
  20. Northamptonshire
  21. Huntingdon And Peterborough




  1. Cambridgeshire And The Isle Of Ely
  2. Norfolk
  3. East Suffolk
  4. West Suffolk
  5. Essex
  6. Hertfordshire
  7. Bedfordshire
  8. Buckinghamshire
  9. Oxfordshire
  10. Gloucestershire
  11. Worcestershire
  12. Herefordshire
  13. Wiltshire
  14. Berkshire
  15. Greater London
  16. Kent
  17. East Sussex
  18. West Sussex
  19. Surrey
  20. Hampshire
  21. Isle Of Wight
  22. Dorset
  23. Somerset
  24. Devon
  25. Cornwall




ABOLITION

See Also: Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England



In 1974 the administrative counties were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 and replaced with the Metropolitan And Non-metropolitan Counties Of England .


SEE ALSO



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