If counting only (England & Wales), the number is 21 . 4. Detailed Breakdown 4.1 England (Historic Counties) England has 39 historic counties. Of these, 31 end in “shire.”
Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire, Devon (no), Dorset (no), Durham (no), Essex (no), Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kent (no), Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Middlesex (no), Norfolk (no), Northamptonshire, Northumberland (no), Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland (no), Shropshire, Somerset (no), Staffordshire, Suffolk (no), Surrey (no), Sussex (no), Warwickshire, Westmorland (no — though sometimes “Westmorlandshire” historically, but not standard), Wiltshire, Worcestershire, Yorkshire. how many counties in the uk end in shire
Correction from above: Devon, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Kent, Middlesex, Norfolk, Northumberland, Rutland, Somerset, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Westmorland do NOT end in “shire.” Thus: 39 total historic – 14 non-shire = ? Wait — let’s recount carefully. If counting only (England & Wales), the number is 21