OT: Another British question...

[Pam Scruton]

No: HPFGUIDX 2255

--- In HPforGrownups at egroups.com, summers.65 at o... wrote:
> 
> Can someone tell me how many counties are in England?  I've been 
trying to
> name them all...Middlesex, Kent, York, Hertfordshire, 
Derbyshire...I know
> I'm missing some.  

And probably gained one or two that don't exist any more - if you 
mean 'traditional' counties you are going to have to specify 
when, 'cos it has changed a few times since Jane Austen was around.


http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~stogyman/gk1/files/county.html

tells you what happened in 1974 and we'd just about got used to that 
when 

http://www.local.doe.gov.uk/struct/reorg.htm#unitary

tells you a bit about what has happened over the past few years.  
Scotland has been equally unfortunate with counties coming and going 
and I can't keep up with that either.  

'Tis a favourite occupation of British governments to reorganise and 
rename counties every 20 - 25 years.   (Sometimes they may even 
decide to drown one - Rutland became Empingham Reservoir in the 
seventies but was eventually renamed Rutland Water.)  At one time I 
believe Wales was supposed to hand over a county to England every 100 
years but I think that stopped when Monmouth was supposed to be 
handed over and never actually was. 

There, aren't you glad you asked?

Pam