Curated category
Counties of England established in antiquity
- HertfordshireHertfordshire sits immediately north of London, forming a ceremonial county in the East of England. Its borders were roughly fixed by the Counties (Detached…
- SurreyThe North Downs cut across Surrey like a geological spine, running from the south-west to the north-east. This chalk escarpment divides the county into two…
- EssexIn the Iron Age, the land now known as Essex was controlled by a local tribe called the Trinovantes. They established their capital at Colchester, which…
- SuffolkIn 1797, John Frere stood in the Hoxne Brick Pit and uncovered flint hand axes buried twelve feet deep. He noted that these weapons might date back to a very…
- KentKent is a ceremonial county in South East England. It has an area of 3,192 square kilometers and had a population of 1,727,665 residents according to the…
- ShropshireThe Shropshire Hills occupy the south-west corner of the county, stretching from the Long Mynd plateau to the rocky ridge of Stiperstones.
- WarwickshireWarwickshire stretches some 50 miles from north to south, covering an area of 834 square kilometers. The northern tip reaches only 12 miles from the…
- DevonThe county of Devon straddles a peninsula, creating a unique geographical situation among English counties. It possesses two separate coastlines: one facing…
- County DurhamIn 995 CE, monks carrying the relics of St Cuthbert settled at a place called Dunholm. They chose this site because the River Wear formed a horseshoe-like…
- WorcestershireThe Malvern Hills rise from the southern edge of Worcestershire, forming a volcanic range that stretches into Herefordshire.
- MiddlesexThe name Middlesex means territory of the middle Saxons. This phrase derives from Old English words middel and Seaxe. An Anglo-Saxon chronicle written in…
- BedfordshireThe centre of Bedfordshire is a gently undulating clay plateau. Out of this flat land rises a ridge of greensand that runs south-west to north-east.
- DerbyshireThe county of Derbyshire rises from the earth as an uplifted dome of rock layers. Older rocks sit in the center while progressively younger limestone rocks…
- City of LondonThe Roman legions established a settlement known as Londinium on the current site of the City of London around AD 43. Its bridge over the River Thames turned…
- YorkshireIn 1974, the historic county of Yorkshire ceased to exist as a single administrative unit. The Local Government Act split its territory into four new…