UNITED KINGDOM WEBPAGE

The following are links to the our web pages for the constituent countries that comprise the United Kingdom.  Under each country are links to the counties in which one of our ancestors is known to have been born, married, or died.   A link to a town or locality in which the aforementioned events occurred is also provided, if known. In addition each web page contains a direct link to the Table of Contents of our Photograph and Image Galleries for many ancestral locations.

England

Northern Ireland

(Ulster)

Scotland

Wales

Gazetteers for Finding Locations in the UK

Image Galleries

ENGLAND WEBPAGE

     The counties of England are territorial divisions of England for the purposes of administrative, political and geographical demarcation. Many current counties have foundations in older divisions such as the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The name county originates in the area formerly or nominally administered by a Count, although in Britain the situation is complicated by the fact that the title Count has been replaced in normal usage by the older Saxon title of Earl. An Earl's wife, however, bears the title of Countess.

     The names, boundaries and functions of these divisions have changed considerably in modern times. Indeed, a series of local government reforms from the 19th century onwards has left the exact definition of the term 'county' ambiguous. The term "counties of England" does not, therefore, refer to a unique canonical set of names or boundaries; in formal use, the type of county relevant to the specific task and period is explicitly stated e.g. ceremonial county, registration county, historic county or former postal county.

COUNTY: Gen-Site(s)

BERKSHIRE: Clapcot;   Mackney;   Thatcham

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE:  Hanslope;   Sefton Park;   Stoke Poges

BRISTOL:

CAMBRIDGESHIRE: Cambridge Castle;   Kingston

CORNWALL:  Lancarfe;   St. Mewan;   Whalesborough

DERBYSHIRE: Derby

DEVONSHIRE: Totnes

ESSEX: Arundel;   Earls Colne;   Manuden

GLOUCESTERSHIRE: Cirencester Parish;   Keynsham, Hanahm; 

HAMPSHIRE:  Fordingbridge;   Hartley Mauduit;   Mottisfont;   Porchester;   Winchester;

HERTFORDSHIRE:   Great Hormead;   Lugwardine Manor;   Watton-at-Stone 

KENT: (Bedgebury, Goudhurst);  (Bayhall, Pembury);  (St. Dunstan's, Canterbury);   (Brenchley, Tunbridge); Castle Badlesmere;

LANCASHIRE: Chipping; Forest Bowland; Goosnargh; Melling; Preston; Salterforth; Slaidburn

LEICESTERSHIRE: Leicester;

LINCOLNSHIRE:  Bourne;   Boston;   Frampton;   Ruskington;   Sempringham

LONDON: Belsize;   Hampstead

MIDDLESEX: London;

MONMOUTHSHIRE: Grosmont Castle;

NORFOLK:  Baconsthorpe;  Congham;  Letheringsett;  Wormegay;  Gressenhall, Mitford;

NORTH YORKSHIRE: Burnsall Parish;   Clapham;   Kilnsey;   Selby;  

NORTHUMBERLAND: Tynedale

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE:  Newark;   Shelford;

OXFORDSHIRE:  Broughton Poggs:   Ewelme;   Oxford;   Wallingford

SHROPSHIRE:  Holgate;   West Felton, Oswestry;

SOMERSET: Milverton; Wiveliscombe; Williton, Nettlecombe;

STAFFORDSHIRE:  Drayton

SUFFOLK:  Bury, St Edmunds;   Gedding;   Mitford;   Stoke by Nayland;   Weston, Colville;   

SURREY:  Addington;   Crowhurst;

SUSSEX:  Chichester;   Crawley;   Poynings;   Westbourne;   Withyham;   Winchelsea, St Thomas, Rye;

WARWICKSHIRE:  Hartshill, Atherstone;

WILTSHIRE:  Amesbury;   Fonthill Gifford;   Somerford Mauduit;   Warminster

YORKSHIRE: North Riding;   East Riding;   West Riding;  Brandesburton;   Cowsby, Thirsk;   York;

NORTHERN IRELAND WEBPAGE

     Northern Ireland consists of six historic counties: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone.

     These counties are no longer used for local government purposes; instead there are twenty-six districts of Northern Ireland which have different geographical extents, even in the case of those named after the counties from which they derive their name.

     The county boundaries still appear on Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland Maps and the Phillips Street Atlases, among others. With their decline in official use, there is often confusion surrounding towns and cities which lie near county boundaries, such as Belfast and Lisburn, which are split between counties Down and Antrim (the majorities of both cities, however, are in Antrim).

COUNTY: Gen-Site(s)

ANTRIM

DOWN: Newery

LONDONDERRY: Coleraine

SCOTLAND WEBPAGE

     From their earliest appearance the counties of Scotland have been called "shires". The word "county" did not become the usual usage until the nineteenth century.       The counties of Scotland were the principal divisions of Scotland until 1975. Scotland's current lieutenancy areas and registration counties are largely based on them. 

     The counties became a basis of local government, alongside burghs, when 34 county councils were created in Scotland by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1889.  About 90 years later, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, these county authorities were abolished as local government bodies and were replaced with regions and districts and island council areas.  Areas for Lieutenancy, areas similar to those of the counties, were created at the same time.  Local government was reorganised again under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 to create the currently existing council areas.  For more information about counties in Scotland see the following: Counties of Scotland until 1890; and Counties of Scotland from 1890 to 1975.

COUNTY: Gen-Site(s)

ABERDEENSHIRE: Buchan

DUMFRIES: 

FIFESHIRE: Dunfermline

INVERNESS:  Northallerton & Badenoch

MIDLOTHIAN: Cockpen

MORAYSHIRE:  Forres (Altyre); 

STIRLINGSHIRE: Bannockburn; Stirling

WALES WEBPAGE

     For local government purposes, Wales is divided into 22 unitary authority areas, which are responsible for the provision of all local government services, including education, social work, environment and roads services. Below these in some areas there are community councils, which cover specific areas within a council area.  The unitary authority areas are referred to in local government legislation as the principal areas of Wales, but are almost never referred to by that designation in Wales.  They are variously styled: nine areas are styled as counties, three as cities (two of which as City and County), and ten as county boroughs, although all authorities have equal powers.  All 22 authorities are regularly called counties in the Welsh media.  They came into being on 1 April 1996 by virtue of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.

COUNTY: Gen-Site(s)

CARMARTHENSHIRE: Kidwelly

Sources

General World Resources

·     A Dictionary, Geographical, Statistical, & Historical

o Volume 1:  AA - Caspe 

o Volume 2:  Caspian Sea - Iona

o Volume 3:  Ionian Islands -  Poole

o Volume 4:  Poonah – Zytomiers 

·        Place Names - Gazetteer

·        Ancestry.com Library—Geography Section

United Kingdom

·        List of United Kingdom locations

England

·        List of Places in England

Northern Ireland

·        List of places in Northern Ireland

·        The Ireland Atlas / Database

Scotland

·        Gazetteer for Scotland

·        A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland

·        List of Places in Scotland

Wales

·        List of Places in Wales

·         

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