Counties of England

The counties of England are territorial divisions of England that have many different purposes, such as local government. Most counties began as Anglo-Saxon shires, and duchies.

The names, boundaries and functions of these divisions have changed many times. A series of local government reforms from the 19th century onwards has left the exact definition of the term 'county' unclear, and many counties have more than one definition in law.

Therefore, the term "counties of England" does not refer to a unique set of names or boundaries. There are specific sets of counties that serve a purpose in government (e.g. ceremonial county, registration county or former postal county) or are cultural regions that are sometimes loosely defined (e.g. historic county).

Two definitions have a purpose in present-day government:

• Administrative counties: These are areas that are governed by a county council.
• Ceremonial counties: These are the areas that are represented by a Lord Lieutenant and a High Sheriff.

For example, Leicester is not in the administrative county of Leicestershire, but is in the ceremonial county of Leicestershire.