XPost: alt.usage.english   
   From: hayesstw@telkomsa.net   
      
   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.   
      
   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).   
      
      
   --   
   Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa   
   Web:  http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm   
   Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com   
   E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk   
      
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