Counties on UK road signs

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A42_Sparks
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

Post by A42_Sparks »

Does GB have roadside 'name-plate' signs as you enter into a county? These were once quite common in NI but less so today. Older signs were more ornate than recent replacements.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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A42_Sparks wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 20:18 Does GB have roadside 'name-plate' signs as you enter into a county? These were once quite common in NI but less so today. Older signs were more ornate than recent replacements.
Yes. Some have slogans and mottos to wonder at, some are just plain boring.
Hampshire - Jane Austen Country https://goo.gl/maps/7UAkmFpxkDc36E7g6 or plain old West Sussex https://goo.gl/maps/G4qwBkqjxYUKHEpg8

M45 https://goo.gl/maps/5yzGsnbBVoPSeCB58 and in the other direction https://goo.gl/maps/fnAX3YNowfLpkweY9
M11 Cambridgeshire https://goo.gl/maps/b233Qk3eS3cZjHYX8 versus Essex https://goo.gl/maps/rXnDVfcbuAPuJ4Cy6

Plenty more here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-36258718
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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A42_Sparks wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 20:18 Does GB have roadside 'name-plate' signs as you enter into a county? These were once quite common in NI but less so today. Older signs were more ornate than recent replacements.
When was the name "County of Antrim" used? I've only ever seen it as just County Antrim.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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A42_Sparks wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 20:18 Does GB have roadside 'name-plate' signs as you enter into a county? These were once quite common in NI but less so today. Older signs were more ornate than recent replacements.
Very few in the sense of those in NI - you smash straight into "county confusion" in GB.

There are lots of those signs when you enter administrative areas, but not many in the historic county sense which is most similar to the NI counties. Historic county boundary signs have only very recently been allowed in GB.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

Post by A42_Sparks »

Isleworth1961 wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 21:35 When was the name "County of Antrim" used? I've only ever seen it as just County Antrim.
Yes that's an odd one, the only one I've ever seen written like that, all others omit the 'of'.

It sounds very old-fashioned although I think it was erected in the 1960's. I have a feeling it was removed last year but I'll have to check.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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Big Nick wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 19:23
Bfivethousand wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 18:46
Steven wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 13:53

If that's the path we're going to head down, then so are Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Swindon, Stoke-on-Trent, Milton Keynes, Blackpool etc etc etc....
I didn't think it was the path we wanted to head down and I wasn't leading you down it. Isn't Bristol unique in its position as city and ceremonial county?

Back to the original question, does this count?
And these in Portsmouth?
https://goo.gl/maps/y2ivmtZgrgJZWJWE6
https://goo.gl/maps/crqJZ2ShBw9V58S58
You might as well include this then, though it's not really in the spirit of the OP
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

Post by A42_Sparks »

A42_Sparks wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 22:43 Yes that's an odd one, the only one I've ever seen written like that, all others omit the 'of'.
Actually I forgot this magnificent specimen which I think is actually pre-Warboys and still in existence.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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A42_Sparks wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 22:43
Isleworth1961 wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 21:35 When was the name "County of Antrim" used? I've only ever seen it as just County Antrim.
Yes that's an odd one, the only one I've ever seen written like that, all others omit the 'of'.

It sounds very old-fashioned although I think it was erected in the 1960's. I have a feeling it was removed last year but I'll have to check.
It's the old style. Before 1974 in GB at least, the counties, despite being shown as Staffordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire on the map, were officially "County of Stafford/Worcester/Warwick". Hampshire was, I think the County of Southampton, though county hall was, and is, in Winchester. I'm not sure how it worked for counties that didn't fit the -shire formula. But many Irish counties are in any case named for the county town, so County of Antrim works in that way, but Fermanagh doesn't work so well.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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Chris Bertram wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 08:14 I'm not sure how it worked for counties that didn't fit the -shire formula.
I suppose they would just be "County of Kent", "County of Sussex" etc.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

Post by Gareth »

I recall a really old atlas that my dad had (c1900s) had the counties written as "County of Southampton", "County of Sussex" etc. If I recall correctly, Wiltshire was just "County of Wiltshire".
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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Gareth wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 19:58 I recall a really old atlas that my dad had (c1900s) had the counties written as "County of Southampton", "County of Sussex" etc. If I recall correctly, Wiltshire was just "County of Wiltshire".
Wiltshire should be the County of Wilton, Wilton being to the west of Salisbury, on the River Wylye which gives it its name. Despite that, the county seat has long been in Trowbridge on the other side of the county. Wilton is a rather small place, but gives its name to a type of carpet manufactured there
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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In my current job I sometimes handle some old legal documents, which often mention some long defunct local governments.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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Chris Bertram wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 20:51
Gareth wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 19:58 I recall a really old atlas that my dad had (c1900s) had the counties written as "County of Southampton", "County of Sussex" etc. If I recall correctly, Wiltshire was just "County of Wiltshire".
Wiltshire should be the County of Wilton, Wilton being to the west of Salisbury, on the River Wylye which gives it its name. Despite that, the county seat has long been in Trowbridge on the other side of the county. Wilton is a rather small place, but gives its name to a type of carpet manufactured there
Pretty sure it said "Wiltshire". I definitely recall there being one or two exceptions with "shire" added.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

Post by AndyB »

I don't think IoW car ferry counts, because while IoW is a county, the destination being signed there is the car ferry.

I don't think Cornwall would be permitted as a destination nowadays. Perhaps in all caps as a specially authorised regional destination...
A42_Sparks wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 23:58
A42_Sparks wrote: Fri Jul 09, 2021 22:43 Yes that's an odd one, the only one I've ever seen written like that, all others omit the 'of'.
Actually I forgot this magnificent specimen which I think is actually pre-Warboys and still in existence.
There used to be one of those at Toome. I'm not sure whether it's pre-Worboys or not, it's more like street signage provided by what would have been the county council.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

Post by SteelCamel »

I did have a look at a couple of similar locations - but it seems more common to sign the bridge rather than the far side. In Kyle of Lochalsh, the signs show "Skye Bridge" rather than "Isle of Skye", and the Menai Bridge is signed "Menai Bridge" not "Anglesey" (the Britannia Bridge just seems to be signed "Holyhead"). So to be consistent, this sign should show "Tamar Bridge" rather than "Cornwall".
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

Post by A42_Sparks »

AndyB wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 10:35 There used to be one of those at Toome. I'm not sure whether it's pre-Worboys or not, it's more like street signage provided by what would have been the county council.
I don't actually remember that one but if it said Londonderry in Toome I'm amazed it lasted that long. I noticed last week that some of the signs on the new A6 have already been defaced and it's only been open a couple of months.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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Gareth wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 22:33
Chris Bertram wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 20:51
Gareth wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 19:58 I recall a really old atlas that my dad had (c1900s) had the counties written as "County of Southampton", "County of Sussex" etc. If I recall correctly, Wiltshire was just "County of Wiltshire".
Wiltshire should be the County of Wilton, Wilton being to the west of Salisbury, on the River Wylye which gives it its name. Despite that, the county seat has long been in Trowbridge on the other side of the county. Wilton is a rather small place, but gives its name to a type of carpet manufactured there
Pretty sure it said "Wiltshire". I definitely recall there being one or two exceptions with "shire" added.
I'm sure you're right. But it is Wilton from which the county originally took its name. To the west and southwest, Somerset took its name from Somerton, and Dorset has Dorchester as its root. Devon, however, has a Duke of Devonshire but no nominal county town. The county seat is Exeter. And Cornwall moved its county town from Bodmin to Truro.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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Chris Bertram wrote: Sun Jul 11, 2021 17:07
Gareth wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 22:33
Chris Bertram wrote: Sat Jul 10, 2021 20:51 Wiltshire should be the County of Wilton, Wilton being to the west of Salisbury, on the River Wylye which gives it its name. Despite that, the county seat has long been in Trowbridge on the other side of the county. Wilton is a rather small place, but gives its name to a type of carpet manufactured there
Pretty sure it said "Wiltshire". I definitely recall there being one or two exceptions with "shire" added.
I'm sure you're right. But it is Wilton from which the county originally took its name. To the west and southwest, Somerset took its name from Somerton, and Dorset has Dorchester as its root. Devon, however, has a Duke of Devonshire but no nominal county town. The county seat is Exeter. And Cornwall moved its county town from Bodmin to Truro.
Devon comes from the old Brythonic for 'Land of the Deep Valleys', so never had a county name as such independent of that. Sometimes you can see old maps with Devon recorded as 'also the County of Exeter'

The ducal title of Duke of Devonshire has very little to do with Devon, and there is a comital title, Earl of Devon, that has been in the de Courtney family for most of the time since William I took a late autumn cruise to Sussex.

Cornwall appears to be a combination of a Cornish language name and 'wealh' which in turn is the origin of Welsh and Wallon.

The four peninsula counties are shire counties, but not -shire counties, as the -set refers to the area, and Cornwall and Devon have names of previous kingdoms.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

Post by AndyB »

County Londonderry was at one stage intended to be called County Coleraine.

None of the Irish counties are conventionally known as shires in modern usage, simply as "County <whatever>", but there are still traces such as streets known as Downshire.
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Re: Counties on UK road signs

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Steven wrote: Sun Jul 04, 2021 17:31
Gareth wrote: Sun Jul 04, 2021 17:12 And when they require a passport to cross the Tamar and have a seat on the UN, I'll consider it as such. Not a day before.
Last time I went between France and Belgium, I didn't need a passport.

Last time I looked, the Vatican City was not a member of the United Nations.


Countries are countries when basically enough people say they are.
According to Wikipedia, the Vatican {aka The Holy See) had non-member observer status in 1964 and full membership (apart from voting rights) in 2004.
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