Below is a letter written in 1998 by David N Lyle in response to the announcement of the George Keith Award. The letter illustrates the challenges of “County Riding”.
Dear Newsletter Editor,
I was interested in the article about the George Keith award in the Salisbury Newsletter no. 83.
Over the years I set myself the task of cycling in all the counties of the British Isles, my last one was county Louth in 1996. Previous to this after having cycled in all the pre 1974 counties of Great Britain I determined to make life more difficult by having an overnight stay in each one, (achieved in 1992 Clackmamanshire).
Later I made a visit to Northern Ireland and stayed in all the “six counties” as well as a number in Eire. The A-Z 1997 Map of the New Counties (£3.25) and Unitary Authorities now shows only Northumberland, Durham. Cumbria, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Shropshire, Hereford and Worcestershire- (but passing through Herefordshire this Easter new signs proclaiming ‘County of Herefordshire’ with cider apple emblem were apparent)- Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire (very small). I understand there will be or is an Unitary Authority based on Newbury, Surrey, Kent, Hampshire, E. and W. Sussex, Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall, a total of 35.
Thus S. Yorkshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Avon, Cleveland, Greater London, Humberside, Isle of Wight. have now become Unitary Authorities, as has the whole of Wales. West Yorkshire disappeared in 1974 either as South Yorkshire, or as a result of boundary changes. In Scotland the whole has become Unitary Authorities, many retaining the old county names. It is interesting to note that old county names are preserved in postal addresses, even Middlesex.
On the historical side it appears that most counties were established as ‘Shires’ in Saxon times. “Counties” was presumably a Norman term. Possibly the naming of the Scottish counties resulted from the influx of Normans, not as invaders, but encouraged by various Scottish Monarchs. Incidentally, the last county before this century was London in 1888, formed of portions of neighbouring counties and which it has been swallowing ever since. Also before 1974 there were “Vice-Counties” separate administrative areas within larger counties, such as ‘Isle of Ely’, (Cambridgeshire), Soke of Peterborough (Northants), Lincolnshire had Lindsey, Holland and Kesteven.
A list of pre 1974 Welsh and Scottish Counties follows:
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