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The present-day division of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland into counties is derived from a long, continuous process of historical, legal, economic and social change over a period of more than a thousand years. the county structure of local government began in the "shires" of Anglo-Saxon England. The shires were formulated as regions of administration and defence. The Norman invaders of 1066 took over the county structure of local government; it was amended and improved by their successors, and gradually reached the disorderly, uncivilized border areas of Wales and Scotland.
In Wales, there has been little change to the county map since the lime of the part-Welsh Tudors. In Scotland, a system of sheriffdoms that closely resembled the English county system existed for hundreds of years. In Ireland, division into counties was established by the barons of Henry II and refined by Oliver Cromwell five hundred years later. In more recent times, British county history has been mainly a record of gradual change, reflecting the changing pattern of our society. An important factor in changes in the past hundred or so years has been the shift in population; especially the vast migrations from country to town, a result of the Industrial Revolution.
Large urban areas that had grown to contain more people than the entire surrounding county were detached from the county system in 1929 and reconstituted as separate administrative units. One county even swallowed up another! The creation of the administrative area of Greater London, it resulted in the former county of Middlesex becoming nothing more than a postal district. In some cases, there are now two county towns; one, the historic county and market town; the other, the administrative headquarters.
In Wales, there has been little change to the county map since the lime of the part-Welsh Tudors. In Scotland, a system of sheriffdoms that closely resembled the English county system existed for hundreds of years. In Ireland, division into counties was established by the barons of Henry II and refined by Oliver Cromwell five hundred years later. In more recent times, British county history has been mainly a record of gradual change, reflecting the changing pattern of our society. An important factor in changes in the past hundred or so years has been the shift in population; especially the vast migrations from country to town, a result of the Industrial Revolution.
Large urban areas that had grown to contain more people than the entire surrounding county were detached from the county system in 1929 and reconstituted as separate administrative units. One county even swallowed up another! The creation of the administrative area of Greater London, it resulted in the former county of Middlesex becoming nothing more than a postal district. In some cases, there are now two county towns; one, the historic county and market town; the other, the administrative headquarters.
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The purpose of County was to bring the locals in front so as to share their point of view with the Government.In this way ,the management of local affairs was left to local authorities ,controlled by Central Government in London.This was done because the locals would have a better know-how about the local problems.
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