@RealCounties

Rediscover the places that have shaped Britain and Ireland for centuries. By the Historic Counties Institute.

 Britain & Ireland
RealCounties.com
Joined January 2020
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Explore 2,853 postcode districts across the UK with RealCounties’ new interactive map layer, featuring detailed geographical outlines and direct comparison with historic county boundaries.

New on RealCounties: Explore 2,853 postcode districts on our interactive map

A major new addition to the RealCounties interactive map makes it possible to explore postcode-district geography across the United Kingdom and see how it relates to the historic counties.

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Historic counties, traditional counties and ancient counties: do these terms mean the same thing?

Short answer: broadly, yes. In modern British usage, historic counties, traditional counties and ancient counties are usually different names for the same long-established county geography. They are n…

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Is Banbury in Oxfordshire or Northamptonshire?

Banbury is an Oxfordshire town, but part of present-day Banbury extends into the geographic county of Northamptonshire. The historic town centre lies in Oxfordshire, on the western side of the River C…

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Official census statistics have been available on our interactive map for a few weeks - now there is also a dedicated website explorer to complement it. 👇

The Census, re-mapped: our Geographic County Census Explorer is now live

A major new RealCounties resource is now live.

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Did Alfred the Great create England’s counties?

No. Alfred the Great did not create England’s counties, nor did he divide the whole of England into shires in a single nationwide reform.

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Is Bristol in Gloucestershire or Somerset?

Bristol is in both Gloucestershire and Somerset. The geographic county boundary runs through the city along the old course of the River Avon. The part of Bristol north of that line lies in Gloucesters…

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Is Tamworth in Staffordshire or Warwickshire?

Tamworth is in both Staffordshire and Warwickshire. The historic - or geographic - county boundary runs through the centre of the town. Tamworth Castle is in Warwickshire, while St Editha’s Church i…

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Did Michael Heseltine “rip up” England’s historic counties in 1974? What The @Telegraph got wrong 👇

Did Michael Heseltine “rip up” England’s historic counties in 1974? What The Telegraph got wrong

A Telegraph article marking the 50th anniversary of the 1974 local-government reforms repeated the very confusion that has obscured England’s historic counties for half a century. The reforms change…

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Is Warrington in Lancashire or Cheshire?

Warrington is a Lancashire town, but the full answer is more interesting: the present Warrington urban area crosses the historic Lancashire–Cheshire boundary, and today’s Borough of Warrington cou…

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NEW FEATURES on our interactive map! As well as browsing the counties, you can search, compare councils & lieutenancies, view census data & even switch on the original 19th-century @OrdnanceSurvey First Edition mapping! Find it at RealCounties.com View article

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Championing our Historic Counties

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Duchy of Lancaster corrects County Palatine boundary wording after HCI raises issue

The Duchy of Lancaster has updated its website after the Historic Counties Institute raised concerns that its description of the County Palatine confused the historic palatine boundary with later loca…

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What is a county palatine – and is it a different kind of county?

A county palatine is a county in which unusually extensive royal powers were exercised locally by a lord, earl, duke or bishop rather than directly through the ordinary machinery of the Crown.

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