View source for Administrative county

{{Short description|First-level administrative division}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox subdivision type
| name=               Administrative county 
| map=               
| category=           County 
| territory=          [[England and Wales]] and [[Ireland]]
| start_date=         [[England and Wales]] 1889
| start_date1=        
| start_date2=        [[Ireland]] 1899
| start_date3=  
| start_date4=  
| legislation_begin=  [[Local Government Act 1888]]
| legislation_begin1= 
| legislation_begin2= [[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898]]
| legislation_begin3=
| legislation_begin4=
| legislation_end=    [[Local Government (Boundaries) Act (Northern Ireland) 1971]]
| legislation_end1=   [[Local Government Act 1972]]
| legislation_end2=   
| legislation_end3=   [[Local Government Act 2001]]
| legislation_end4=
| end_date=           [[Northern Ireland]] 1973
| end_date1=          [[England and Wales]] 1974
| end_date2=          
| end_date3=          [[Republic of Ireland]] 2002
| end_date4=
| current_number=    
| number_date=       
| type=
| type1=
| type2=
| type3=
| type4=
| status=
| status1=
| status2=
| status3=
| status4=
| exofficio=
| exofficio1=
| exofficio2=
| exofficio3=
| exofficio4=
| population_range=  
| area_range=     
| government=        County council
| government1=
| government2=
| government3=
| government4=   
| subdivision=       [[Rural district]]
| subdivision1=      [[Urban district (England and Wales)|Urban district]]
| subdivision2=      [[Municipal borough]]
| subdivision3=      
| subdivision4=      
}}
An '''administrative county''' was a [[first-level administrative division]] in [[England and Wales]] from 1888 to 1974, from 1899 until 1973 in [[Northern Ireland]], and from 1899 to 2002 in the [[Republic of Ireland]]. They are now abolished, although most Northern Ireland [[ceremonial county|lieutenancy areas]] and [[Counties of the Republic of Ireland|Republic of Ireland counties]] have the same boundaries as former administrative countries.

==History==
===England and Wales===
{{further|Administrative counties of England}}
{{further|Subdivisions of Wales|Historic counties of Wales}}

The term was introduced for England and Wales by the [[Local Government Act 1888]], which created [[county council]]s for various areas, and called them ''administrative counties'' to distinguish them from the continuing ''statutory [[ceremonial counties|counties]]''.

In England and Wales the legislation was repealed in 1974, and entities called '[[Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England|metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties]]' in England and 'counties' in Wales were introduced in their place.  Though strictly inaccurate,{{citation needed|date=March 2024}} these are often called 'administrative counties' to distinguish them from both the historic counties, and the [[ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial counties]].

===Scotland===
{{further|Counties of Scotland}}

For local government purposes Scottish counties were replaced in 1975 with a system of [[Local government areas of Scotland 1973 to 1996|regions]] and [[Island council areas of Scotland|island council areas]].

===Ireland===
The [[Local Government (Ireland) Act 1898]] created administrative counties in Ireland on the same model that had been used in England and Wales.

In Northern Ireland the administrative counties were replaced by a system of 26 [[Districts of Northern Ireland|districts]] on 1 October 1973. Section 131 of the [[Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972]] stated that "every county and every county borough shall cease to be an administrative area for local government purposes".<ref>Local Government Act (Northern Ireland) 1972, (1972 C.9)</ref> The areas of the former administrative counties (and county boroughs) remain in use for [[Lord Lieutenant|Lieutenancy]] purposes, being defined as the areas used "for local government purposes immediately before 1 October 1973, subject to any subsequent definition of their boundaries …".<ref>The Northern Ireland (Lieutenancy) Order 1975 (S.I. 1975 No.156)</ref>

In the [[Republic of Ireland]] the legislation that created them remained in force until 1 January 2002, when they were renamed as ''counties'' under the [[Local Government Act 2001]].<ref>{{cite Irish legislation|name=[[Local Government Act 2001]]|year=2001|number=37|schedno=2|stitle=Construction of Certain Terms in Other Enactments}}</ref> The term ''administrative county'' is retained by the [[Placenames Database of Ireland]] to distinguish the modern counties in Dublin of [[Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown]], [[Fingal]] and [[South Dublin]] from the traditional counties, which include [[County Dublin]].<ref>{{cite Irish legislation|name=Placenames (Provinces and Counties) Order 2003 |year=2003|date=30 October 2003|type=si|number=519|lang=Irish |access-date=14 January 2022 |archive-date=18 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118214710/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2003/si/519/made/ga/print |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fine Gall/Fingall |url=https://www.logainm.ie/en/1166124 |website=Logainm |publisher=[[Government of Ireland]] |access-date=14 January 2022}} vs. {{cite web |title=Baile Átha Cliath/Dublin |url=https://www.logainm.ie/en/100002 |website=Logainm |publisher=Government of Ireland |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref>

==New entities==
[[Image:England_Admin_Counties_1890-1965.png|thumb|right|300px|England – administrative counties 1890–1965.]]

The administrative counties that did not share the names of previous counties:

'''England'''
{| class="wikitable"
! County || Administrative counties
|-
| Cambridgeshire || [[Isle of Ely]] 
|-
| Hampshire || [[Isle of Wight]]
|-
| Lincolnshire || [[Holland, Lincolnshire|Holland]], [[Kesteven]], [[Lindsey, Lincolnshire|Lindsey]]
|-
| London || [[County of London|London]] 
|-
| Northamptonshire || [[Soke of Peterborough]] 
|-
| Suffolk || [[East Suffolk (county)|East Suffolk]], [[West Suffolk (county)|West Suffolk]] 
|-
| Sussex || [[East Sussex]], [[West Sussex]] 
|- 
| Yorkshire || [[East Riding of Yorkshire|East Riding]], [[North Riding of Yorkshire|North Riding]], [[West Riding of Yorkshire|West Riding]] 
|}

'''Scotland'''
*[[Ross-shire]] and [[Cromartyshire]] ([[Ross and Cromarty]])

'''Republic of Ireland'''
*[[Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown]], [[Fingal]] and [[South Dublin]] ([[County Dublin]]). Created in 1994.

==See also==
*[[List of articles about local government in the United Kingdom]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.boundarycommittee.org.uk/ The Boundary Committee for England]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070921124603/http://www.bcomm-scotland.gov.uk/ The Boundary Committee for Scotland]
*[http://www.bcomm-wales.gov.uk/ The Boundary Committee for Wales]

{{Terms for types of administrative territorial entities}}

[[Category:Local government in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Administrative counties]]
[[Category:Defunct types of subdivision in the United Kingdom]]