Most of the historic English counties were established between the 7th and 11th centuries. Counties were initially … See more

Since the latest changes in 2023 there have been 84 counties for local government purposes, which are categorised as metropolitan or non-metropolitan counties. The non-metropolitan counties may governed b… See more

From 1974 to 1996 the local government counties were also used for the purposes of lieutenancy, with the exceptions that the Isles of Scilly were deemed part of Cornwall for lieutenancy purposes, and Greater London wa… See more

There is no well-established series of official symbols or flags covering all the counties. From 1889 the newly created county councils could apply to the College of Arms for coats of arms, often incorporati… See more

The Royal Mail has always required postal addresses to include the name of certain towns, known as post towns, to assist with efficiently directing the mail. Historically they also required the name of the name of the county i… See more