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In Great Britain and Ireland, a county town is the most important town or city in a county.[dubious – discuss] It is usually the location of administrative or judicial functions within a county, and the place where public representatives are elected to parliament. Following the establishment of county councils in England 1889, the headquarters of the new councils were usually established in the county town of each county; however, the concept of a county town pre-dates these councils.
The concept of a county town is ill-defined and unofficial. Some counties in Great Britain have their administrative bodies housed elsewhere. For example, Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, but the county council is in Preston. Due to the creation of unitary authorities, some county towns in Great Britain are administratively separate from the county. For example, Nottingham is separated from the rest of Nottinghamshire, and Brighton and Hove is separate from East Sussex. On a ceremonial level, both are in their own respective counties geographically.
England
This list shows towns or cities which held county functions at various points in time.
- The county assize court sat at Bodmin, and the 1911 Britannica considered Bodmin to be the county town. Prior to 1835, it was Launceston.
- Knights of the shire were elected at Cockermouth; the assizes and quarter sessions courts were occasionally held at Penrith.
- East Kent and West Kent had separate administrations until 1814, with East Kent sessions meeting at Canterbury, and West Kent at Maidstone, the over-all county town.
- In 1787 the Lancashire Quarter Sessions decreed that in future the annual general sessions for transacting all business for the county at large should be held at Preston as it was "a central place in the county." The magistrates of Lonsdale Hundred refused to accept the decision, and would meet only at Lancaster. The matter was settled only when a local act of parliament (38 Geo. 3. c. 58) established that the principal administrative business of the county could be transacted only at Preston.[4]
- Knights of the shire were elected at Brentford; sessions presided over by Middlesex Justices of the Peace were held at Clerkenwell; trials for persons accused of the most serious crimes took place in the Old Bailey before the Aldermen of the City prior to the committing of the accused to Newgate Prison (which functioned as the county gaol for Middlesex) if found guilty; while the county council had its headquarters at the Middlesex Guildhall in Westminster from its establishment in 1889 until its abolition in 1965.[5]
- Alnwick's position as the county town seems to have been based largely on its castle being the seat of the Duke of Northumberland, although knights of the shire were elected at the town too.[6] Assizes for the county however were held mainly or exclusively in Newcastle upon Tyne. Morpeth Castle was used as the prison for Northumberland, and the county gaol was built there in 1824.[7][8]
- Nottingham was constituted a county corporate separate from Nottinghamshire in 1449. The area containing the Shire Hall however remained an exclave of Nottinghamshire.[9]
- Under the Surrey Gaol Act 1791 (31 Geo. 3. c. 22) the justices of the peace of the county of Surrey were empowered to build a new sessions house and county gaol at Newington adjacent to the borough of Southwark and in the suburbs of London.[11] By 1799 the buildings were completed and the county administration was based there until 1893.[12] Newington or Southwark (the ecclesiastical centre) were sometimes described as the county town thereafter, for instance in a school textbook of 1828.[13]
- Chichester was traditionally described as the capital city of Sussex and Lewes its county town.[14][15][16] Horsham was occasionally described as the county town of Sussex due to the presence of the county gaol and the periodic holding of the county assizes and quarter sessions in the town. The last assizes were held there in 1830, while the gaol was closed in 1845.[17]
- Wiltshire County Council note that Wiltshire "never had a well recognised county town".[18] An 1870s gazetteer describes "Salisbury and Devizes" as the "county towns".[19] The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica names only Salisbury.
- The county towns of the three "Ridings" are considered to be Beverley, Northallerton and Wakefield.
Scotland
Wales
Following the Norman invasion of Wales, the Cambro-Normans created the historic shire system (also known as ancient counties). Many of these counties were named for the centre of Norman power within the new county (Caernarfonshire named for Caernarfon, Monmouthshire named for Monmouth) others were named after the previous medieval Welsh kingdoms (Ceredigon becomes Cardigan, Morgannwg becomes Glamorgan). The 1535 Laws in Wales Act established the historic counties in English law, but in Wales they were later replaced with eight preserved counties for ceremonial purposes and the twenty two principal areas are used for administrative purposes. Neither of these subdivisions use official county towns, although their administrative headquarters and ceremonial centres are often located in the historic county town.[21]
| Name in English | Name in Welsh | County town in English | County town in Welsh |
|---|---|---|---|
 Anglesey | Ynys Môn | Llangefni (formerly Beaumaris?) | Llangefni Biwmares |
 Brecknockshire | Brycheiniog | Brecon | Aberhonddu |
 Caernarfonshire(formerly Carnarvonshire) | Sir Gaernarfon | Caernarfon | Caernarfon |
 Cardiganshire | Ceredigion | Cardigan | Aberteifi |
| Carmarthenshire | Sir Gaerfyrddin | Carmarthen | Caerfyrddin |
| Denbighshire | Sir Ddinbych | Ruthin (formerly Denbigh) | Rhuthun (formerly Dinbych) |
 Flintshire | Sir y Fflint | Mold (formerly Flint) | Yr Wyddgrug (formerly Y Fflint) |
 Glamorgan | Morgannwg | Cardiff | Caerdydd |
 Merioneth or Merionethshire | Meirionnydd or Sir Feirionnydd | Dolgellau | Dolgellau |
| Montgomeryshire | Sir Drefaldwyn | Welshpool (formerly Montgomery) | Y Trallwng (formerly Trefaldwyn) |
 Monmouthshire | Sir Fynwy | Monmouth | Trefynwy |
 Pembrokeshire | Sir Benfro | Haverfordwest (formerly Pembroke) | Hwlffordd (formerly Penfro) |
| Radnorshire | Sir Faesyfed | Presteigne (formerly New Radnor) | Llanandras (former Maesyfed) |
With the creation of elected county councils in 1889, the administrative headquarters in some cases moved away from the traditional county town. Furthermore, in 1965 and 1974 there were major boundary changes in England and Wales and administrative counties were replaced with new metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. The boundaries underwent further alterations between 1995 and 1998 to create unitary authorities, and some of the ancient counties and county towns were restored. (Note: not all headquarters are or were called County Halls or Shire Halls e.g.: Cumbria County Council's HQ up until 2016 was called The Courts and has since moved to Cumbria House.) Before 1974, many of the county halls were in towns and cities that had the status of a county borough i.e. a borough outside the county council's jurisdiction.
England, from 1889
| County council | Date | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Bedfordshire | 1889 to 2009 | Bedford |
| Berkshire | 1889 to 1998 | Reading (county borough until 1974) |
| Buckinghamshire | 1889 onwards | Aylesbury |
| Cambridgeshire | 1889 to 1965 and 1974 onwards |
Cambridge (until 2021) Alconbury Weald (after 2021) |
| Cheshire | 1889 to 2009 | Chester |
| Cornwall | 1889 onwards | Truro |
| Cumberland | 1889 to 1974 | Carlisle (county borough from 1914) |
| Derbyshire | 1889 onwards | Matlock (moved from Derby, county borough 1958)[22] |
| Devon | 1889 onwards | Exeter (county borough until 1974). In 1963 the Devon County Buildings Area was transferred from the county borough of Exeter to the administrative county of Devon, of which it formed an exclave until 1974.[23] |
| Dorset | 1889 onwards | Dorchester |
| Durham | 1889 onwards | Durham |
| Essex | 1889 onwards | Chelmsford |
| Gloucestershire | 1889 onwards | Gloucester (county borough until 1974) |
| Hampshire | 1889 onwards | Winchester |
| Herefordshire | 1889 to 1974 and 1998 onwards |
Hereford |
| Hertfordshire | 1889 onwards | Hertford |
| Huntingdonshire | 1889 to 1965 | Huntingdon |
| Isle of Ely | 1889 to 1965 | March |
| Isle of Wight | 1890 onwards | Newport |
| Kent | 1889 onwards | Maidstone |
| Lancashire | 1889 onwards | Preston (county borough until 1974) |
| Leicestershire | 1889 onwards | Leicester |
| Lincolnshire, Parts of Lindsey | 1889 to 1974 | Lincoln (county borough) |
| Lincolnshire, Parts of Holland | 1889 to 1974 | Boston |
| Lincolnshire, Parts of Kesteven | 1889 to 1974 | Sleaford |
| London | 1889 to 1965 | Spring Gardens, Westminster until 1922, County Hall at Lambeth thereafter |
| Middlesex | 1889 to 1965 | Middlesex Guildhall at Westminster in County of London |
| Norfolk | 1889 onwards | Norwich (county borough until 1974) |
| Northamptonshire | 1889 onwards | Northampton (county borough until 1974) |
| Northumberland | 1889 onwards | County Hall Newcastle upon Tyne 1889 – 1981[24] County Hall Morpeth since 1981[25] |
| Nottinghamshire | 1889 onwards | West Bridgford (moved from county borough of Nottingham in 1959) |
| Oxfordshire | 1889 onwards | Oxford (county borough until 1974) |
| Soke of Peterborough | 1889 to 1965 | Peterborough |
| Rutland | 1889 to 1974 and 1997 onwards |
Oakham |
| Shropshire | 1889 onwards | Shrewsbury |
| Somerset | 1889 onwards | Taunton |
| Staffordshire | 1889 onwards | Stafford |
| East Suffolk | 1889 to 1974 | Ipswich (county borough) |
| West Suffolk | 1889 to 1974 | Bury St Edmunds |
| Surrey | 1889 onwards | Inner London Sessions House, Newington (until 1893) County Hall, Kingston upon Thames (1893–2020) Woodhatch Place, Reigate (2021 onwards)[26] |
| East Sussex | 1889 onwards | Lewes |
| West Sussex | 1889 onwards | Chichester (originally jointly with Horsham)[17] |
| Warwickshire | 1889 onwards | Warwick |
| Westmorland | 1889 to 1974 | Kendal |
| Wiltshire | 1889 onwards | Trowbridge |
| Worcestershire | 1889 to 1974 and 1998 onwards |
Worcester (county borough until 1974) |
| Yorkshire, East Riding | 1889 to 1974 and 1996 onwards |
Beverley (later HQ of Humberside) |
| Yorkshire, North Riding | 1889 to 1974 | Northallerton |
| Yorkshire, West Riding | 1889 to 1974 | Wakefield (county borough from 1915) |
England, from 1965
| County council | Date | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Avon | 1974 to 1996 | Bristol |
| Bristol | 1996 onwards | Bristol |
| Cambridgeshire and Isle of Ely | 1965 to 1974 | Cambridge |
| Cleveland | 1974 to 1996 | Middlesbrough |
| Cumbria | 1974 to 2023 | Carlisle |
| Greater London | 1965 to 1986 and 2002 onwards |
County Hall, Lambeth (Greater London Council) (1965–1986) City Hall, Southwark (Greater London Authority) (2002–2021) City Hall, Newham (Greater London Authority) (2021 onwards) |
| Greater Manchester | 1974 to 1986 | Manchester |
| Hereford and Worcester | 1974 to 1998 | Worcester |
| Humberside | 1974 to 1996 | Beverley |
| Huntingdon and Peterborough | 1965 to 1974 | Huntingdon |
| Lincolnshire | 1974 onwards | Lincoln |
| Merseyside | 1974 to 1986 | Liverpool |
| Suffolk | 1974 onwards | Ipswich |
| Tyne and Wear | 1974 to 1986 | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| West Midlands | 1974 to 1986 | Birmingham |
| North Yorkshire | 1974 onwards | Northallerton |
| South Yorkshire | 1974 to 1986 | Barnsley |
| West Yorkshire | 1974 to 1986 | Wakefield |
Wales
| County council | Date | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| Anglesey | 1889 to 1974 | Beaumaris1 |
| Brecknockshire | 1889 to 1974 | Brecon |
| Caernarvonshire | 1889 to 1974 | Caernarfon |
| Carmarthenshire | 1889 to 1974 1996 onwards | Carmarthen |
| Cardiganshire | 1889 to 1974 | Aberystwyth2 |
| Ceredigion | 1996 onwards | Aberaeron |
| Clwyd | 1974 to 1996 | Mold |
| Denbighshire | 1889 to 1974 | Denbigh |
| Dyfed | 1974 to 1996 | Carmarthen |
| Flintshire | 1889 to 1974 | Mold |
| Glamorgan | 1889 to 1974 | Cardiff (county borough) |
| Gwent | 1974 to 1996 | Newport (1974–78), Cwmbran (1978–96) |
| Gwynedd | 1974 onwards | Caernarfon |
| Mid Glamorgan | 1974 to 1996 | Cardiff (extraterritorial) |
| Merionethshire | 1889 to 1974 | Dolgellau |
| Montgomeryshire | 1889 to 1974 | Welshpool |
| Monmouthshire | 1889 to 1974 | Newport (county borough from 1891) |
| Radnorshire | 1889 to 1974 | Presteigne3 |
| Pembrokeshire | 1889 to 1974 1996 onwards | Haverfordwest |
| Powys | 1974 onwards | Llandrindod Wells |
| South Glamorgan | 1974 to 1996 | Cardiff |
| West Glamorgan | 1974 to 1996 | Swansea |
| Isle of Anglesey | 1996 onwards | Llangefni |
- Due to its better transport links and more central location, some administrative functions were moved to Llangefni.
- Cardigan was often still referred to as 'the county town' due to the name link. However, assizes were held at Lampeter while Aberystwyth housed the administration of the county council. Aberystwyth was therefore the de facto county town.
- Due to its better transport links and more central location, some administrative functions were moved to Llandrindod Wells.
Republic of Ireland
The follow lists the location of the administration of each of the 31 local authorities in the Republic of Ireland, with 26 of the traditional counties.
Northern Ireland
| County | County town |
|---|---|
| County Antrim | Antrim |
| County Armagh | Armagh |
| County Down | Downpatrick |
| County Fermanagh | Enniskillen |
| County Londonderry | Coleraine |
| County Tyrone | Omagh |
Note – Despite the fact that Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, it is not the county town of any county. Greater Belfast straddles two counties – Antrim and Down.
Jamaica's three counties were established in 1758 to facilitate the holding of courts along the lines of the British county court system, with each county having a county town.[27] The counties have no current administrative relevance.
| County | County town |
|---|---|
| Cornwall | Savanna-la-Mar |
| Middlesex | Spanish Town |
| Surrey | Kingston |
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