Difference between revisions of "County"
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Traditionally, the chief officer of a county was a [[sheriff]], a word that comes from the [[Old English]] "shire-reeve" (a "reeve" was a general name for an administrative officer). The most famous sherrif in history was the Sheriff of [[Nottingham]] from the [[Robin Hood]] legends. This office still survives in modern times, though administrative practice has gradually diverged and whereas in the USA a sheriff is nowadays a chief of police, in the UK he is a council officer responsible for enforcing court orders. | Traditionally, the chief officer of a county was a [[sheriff]], a word that comes from the [[Old English]] "shire-reeve" (a "reeve" was a general name for an administrative officer). The most famous sherrif in history was the Sheriff of [[Nottingham]] from the [[Robin Hood]] legends. This office still survives in modern times, though administrative practice has gradually diverged and whereas in the USA a sheriff is nowadays a chief of police, in the UK he is a council officer responsible for enforcing court orders. | ||
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| + | ==Pronounciation== | ||
| + | The word "shire" is often mis-pronounced. When used on its own, the word is pronounced as "shy-er". This pronounciation also applies to other uses, such as in Shire Horse, Shire Hall, Shire Way, Shire Barn and so on. | ||
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| + | When pronounced as part of a county name in the UK, the word is pronounced "sheer". | ||
[[Category:sociology]] | [[Category:sociology]] | ||
Revision as of 12:06, April 28, 2007
A county, otherwise known as a shire, is a unit of local government that exists in most, and historically, all English speaking countries of the world. The first shires were the ancient divisions of the kingdom of Wessex, and this system was expanded to the whole of England when the kings of Wessex became kings of England in the 10th century. Towards the end of the Medieval period the system was further expanded to Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. With the growth of the British Empire the system was expanded to America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Traditionally, the chief officer of a county was a sheriff, a word that comes from the Old English "shire-reeve" (a "reeve" was a general name for an administrative officer). The most famous sherrif in history was the Sheriff of Nottingham from the Robin Hood legends. This office still survives in modern times, though administrative practice has gradually diverged and whereas in the USA a sheriff is nowadays a chief of police, in the UK he is a council officer responsible for enforcing court orders.
Pronounciation
The word "shire" is often mis-pronounced. When used on its own, the word is pronounced as "shy-er". This pronounciation also applies to other uses, such as in Shire Horse, Shire Hall, Shire Way, Shire Barn and so on.
When pronounced as part of a county name in the UK, the word is pronounced "sheer".
