A shire is an administrative area of Great Britain and Australia. The first shires were created by the Anglo-Saxons in what is now central and southern England. Shires were controlled by a royal official known as a "shire reeve" or sheriff. Historically shires were sub-divided into hundreds or wapentakes although other less common sub-divisions existed. In modern English usage shires are sub-divided into districts. Individually, or as a suffix in Scotland, the word is (to rhyme with "fire"). As a suffix in an English or Welsh place name it is pronounced (rhymes with "fir") or sometimes , a homophone of "sheer". Shires in Great Britain It can also be used in a narrower sense, referring only to ancient counties ending in "shire". These counties are typically (though not always) named after their county town. Shires in England Shires in England include Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cam

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z # TAGS