If one counts every ceremonial county in England that is not a metropolitan county or a city-state (like London or Bristol), the number is higher. There are ceremonial counties in England. While many are referred to colloquially as "the shires," this number includes metropolitan counties and unitary authorities that do not function as "shire counties" in an administrative sense.
As it stands in modern administrative law, there are non-metropolitan "shire counties" in England. However, to fully understand this figure, one must distinguish between administrative counties, ceremonial counties, and historic counties. how many shire counties are there in england
For many, a "shire county" is simply one that bears the name. In the current map of 48 ceremonial counties, end in the suffix "-shire": Bedfordshire Berkshire Buckinghamshire Cambridgeshire Cheshire Derbyshire Gloucestershire Hampshire Herefordshire Hertfordshire Lancashire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Northamptonshire Nottinghamshire Oxfordshire Shropshire Staffordshire Warwickshire Wiltshire Worcestershire North Yorkshire South Yorkshire West Yorkshire East Riding of Yorkshire If one counts every ceremonial county in England
There are current and historic counties in England that end in "-shire." This suffix derives from Old English scīr , meaning an administrative district or office. As it stands in modern administrative law, there
Therefore, when people ask about shire counties , they generally exclude the ancient, non-shire counties like Cornwall, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, and Essex.
Including all non-metropolitan areas (including those where councils have merged), the total is 84 . Naming Conventions