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From: Tim Powys-Lybbe <>
Subject: Re: Lathom and Chaworth: descents from Robert de Alfreton
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 15:16:17 GMT
References: <79.3d73151f.2f245041@aol.com> <ct0cuo$q14$1@news.ks.uiuc.edu>


In message of 23 Jan, Doug McDonald <> wrote:


> I assume VCH Lancs means Lancaster?

Not quite. The 's' at the end is short for Shire so it is Lancashire.
Lancaster is the town, not the shire.

Similarly Yorks, though that has the three Ridings, N, W and E.

But not similarly Durhams as that is not the name of 'County Durham'
which is the only English county with the name 'County' in it. Some
other counties never get 'shire' at the end: Middlesex, Cornwall,
Sussex, Kent to name but a few.

There is no logic to this, just custom and practice.

--
Tim Powys-Lybbe
For a miscellany of bygones: http://powys.org

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