XPost: alt.usage.english   
   From: charlesellson@btinternet.com   
      
   On Fri, 28 Jun 2024 07:29:24 +0200, Steve Hayes   
    wrote:   
      
   >On Wed, 26 Jun 2024 10:10:49 +0200, Athel Cornish-Bowden   
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >>Likewise for all the counties with -shire in their names. That doesn't   
   >>include Devon, which doesn't have -shire in its name unless you're a   
   >>grockle (or are referring to Devonshire cream). I imagine that also   
   >>applies to Dorset; I don't think anyone is so gauche as to stick -shire   
   >>on the end of Somerset or Cornwall.   
   >   
   >I only add -shire to the name of a county (current or ceremonial) if   
   >name of the county town is the same as the name of the county itself,   
   >to avoid confusion.   
   >   
   >In the case of Gloucester, for example, you can either add -shire to   
   >the end, or "County of" to the beginning to avoid confusion with the   
   >city of Gloucester, but as far as I know, there is no town called   
   >Devon, or Dorset, or Somerset, or Cornwall.   
   >   
   >There is, however, a City of Durham, but there is no county of   
   >Durhamshire. So it is "County Durham", as in Ireland.   
   >   
   >Lancashire is, like Durham, a County Palatine, but is the County of   
   >Lancaster -- as far as I know it is the only exception.   
   >   
   "County of XYZ" is in fairly routine use in more formal official   
   documents and notices.   
      
   >In the case of Devon, however, a cousin of mine did put in the 1911   
   >census column which asked for citizenship that all the members of the   
   >household were "Devonshire dumplings" and in the column that asked for   
   >marital status that the maid was "awaiting opportunity".   
   >   
   >(Crossposted to soc.genealogy.britain, to try to keep it alive).   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)