The geographical division of the United Kingdom into counties or shires began in England and Scotland in the early Middle Ages, and was completed throughout Great Britain and Ireland by the early Modern Period.Hackwood Frederick William: The Story of the Shire, Being the Lore, History and Evolution of English County Institutions (1851) Modern local government by elected councils, partly based on the ancient counties, was established by separate Acts of Parliament: in England and Wales in 1888, Scotland in 1889 and Ireland in 1898, meaning there is no consistent system of administrative or geographic demarcation across the UK, and England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each have their own distinct jurisdictions.; Until the 19th century there was little change to those arrangements, but there has since been a constant evolution of role and function.
The geographical division of the United Kingdom into counties or shires began in England and Scotland in the early Middle Ages, and was completed throughout Great Britain and Ireland by the early Modern PeriodHackwood Frederick William: The Story of the Shire, Being the Lore, History and Evolution of English County Institutions (1851) Modern local government by elected councils, partly based on the ancient counties, was established by separate Acts of Parliament: in England and Wales in 1888, Scotland in 1889 and Ireland in 1898, meaning there is no consistent system of administrative or geographic demarcation across the UK, and England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland each have their own distinct jurisdictions.; Until the 19th century there was little change to those arrangements, but there has since been a constant evolution of role and function.