But many sources say — that’s because they count Yorkshire as one , and exclude Huntingdonshire? No, Huntingdonshire is historic.
So let’s list carefully:
if we exclude Rutland (doesn’t end in shire) and Middlesex (ends in “sex,” not shire). But my list above gave 25. The error: Devonshire and Dorsetshire are still historic, but sometimes counted as Devon and Dorset. So to avoid double-counting, the accepted number among historians is 24 historic shire counties . Final Clear Answer | Type of county | Number ending in “-shire” | |----------------|---------------------------| | Ceremonial (modern) | 22 | | Historic (traditional) | 24 |
Wait — but what about , West Yorkshire ? They are metropolitan counties but also ceremonial — they do not end in “-shire” (they end in “Yorkshire” as two words). So no.
But some lists exclude Yorkshire because it’s not “-shire” as a suffix? Actually, “Yorkshire” does end with “shire.” So it counts.
Let’s settle it: