Legal Definitions - shire

Definition: A shire is a county in Great Britain, especially in England. Originally, it was made up of many hundreds, but later it consisted of larger divisions set off by metes and bounds.

Examples:

• Yorkshire
• Nottinghamshire
• Wiltshire

The examples given are all shires in England. They are larger divisions that were set off by metes and bounds. For instance, Yorkshire was originally divided into three ridings, which were further divided into wapentakes. Nottinghamshire was divided into wapentakes, and Wiltshire was divided into hundreds. These divisions helped to govern the area and provide services to the people living there.